Can't Let You Go
by linda06
Summary: This is my version of what I would have liked to have seen on VM post season 3. Consider this my version of season 4 and the next few years thereafter. Story in a nutshell: "I can't let you go, Logan. I'll never be able to let you go." Logan/Veronica.
1. Part 1: In the Beginning

**Title: **Can't Let You Go  
**Characters/Pairing: **Logan/Veronica (with appearances by Mac, Dick, Charlie, Keith, Weevil, and Wallace)  
**Rating: **PG13  
**Author**: Linda  
**A/N: **This is my version of what I would have liked to have seen on VM post season 3. Consider this my version of season 4 and the next few years thereafter. It's split up in 17 different parts and some could be read as standalones (ie part 2 and 3). Just for the record - I flove angst. My dear Tanya hates it with a passion of a thousand burning suns. If I had my way there would be a lot more angst in this fic, but alas, Tanya would never forgive me if I went that way. This one isn't all happy fluffy goodness, but it's close. Dedicated, as always, to my sis/bff/beta, Tanya. Happy belated birthday/X-Mas/New Year/MLK day, chick! One day, I promise, I'll have something done for you when you ask for it. Maybe.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Logan (aww). I don't own Veronica. I don't own any part of VM. If I did, I'd be, you know, rich and stuff. Alas, I am not. VM and all characters are the property of the UPN/CW and Rob Thomas. Don't sue me please, it'd be much appreciated.

**

* * *

**

Part 1

**In the Beginning  
**_August 2007_

Logan and Veronica had broken up so many times that Logan couldn't keep track anymore. Each time they ended things, Logan thought that was the last.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Right before they were to begin their sophomore year at Hearst, Veronica had dumped Piz. At first Logan wasn't sure what had happened. He just knew that Veronica had called things off. It wasn't until a few weeks later that he was told the truth from Veronica herself.

Parker had convinced Veronica to go with her to a campus party where she accidentally ran into Logan. She had already had a few beers in her and her tongue was loose so she was more than willing to fill Logan in on all of the gory details.

Two months after the semester had ended, Piz had cheated on Veronica with some little hussy from his Psychology class. Logan was surprised Veronica had kept the truth from him for so long. And she admitted that she wanted to take care of Piz in her own way instead of Logan coming to her defense as always. Logan was upset, but he told himself he had no reason to. He and Veronica were over after all. They proceeded to get drunk together as Veronica bitched about her failed relationship and Logan filled her in on the latest casualty of his heart.

It had taken them a few hours, but somehow they had ended up at Logan's new apartment where they proceeded to have some amazing drunken sex. The next morning they agreed that it couldn't happen again and decided to continue the friend route as that seemed the safest way to go.

It only took a week for Veronica to show up at his door again. He had almost bitten and slept with her once more, but loud warning bells were going off in his head. He had pushed her back gently and she looked up at him with curious eyes.

"We can't do this, Veronica._ I_ can't. Not again."

She frowned up at him. "Logan, we'll make it work this time."

He snorted and pulled on his discarded t-shirt. "No, we'll end up hating each other. Or more specifically, you hating me for doing something I do that you don't approve of."

She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "You make me out to be some horrible bitch."

He shrugged lightly. "I'm not saying that. You know how that saying goes - 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me'. How many times have we tried to be together, Veronica? Every time it ends in disaster. I'm never good enough or I do something you don't agree with and we fight."

She chewed on her bottom lip. "Was it really that bad?"

"The last time we tried this," he motioned between the two of them, "we broke up and you told me I was out of your life for good."

She winced at that and shook her head quickly. "I said that after you pulled that shit with Piz."

An eyebrow went up at her line of defense. "Does it really matter when you said it? You said it, Veronica, not me. How long did it take you to let me back in? Months. Is that what you want to happen again? Seriously? You have these walls and you don't let me in. You don't trust me as far as you can throw me. What kind of relationship is that? Hell, Veronica, we even fight after sex."

She frowned and looked down toward the ground.

"You know I'm right," he sighed.

She simply nodded.

"Besides, I think Dick will kill me if I sit around and mope all day again because we break up one more time."

"But . . . God, Logan . . . I . . . I l-love you."

He smiled and shook his head sadly. "That almost killed you to say that, didn't it? Do you realize that's the first time you've said that to me?"

Her frown deepened. "No. No, I know I've said --"

"You've said a lot of things. But you've never actually said that. Those three words together in a sentence. It doesn't mean I don't love you back, because I do. I never stopped . . ."

"Logan--"

"I can't do it, Veronica. I just can't go thru the routine of thinking everything's ok, only for the next day to come to realize how wrong I was. You know I'm right."

"Relationships aren't easy, Logan. You can't expect ours to be any different."

"There's hard and then there's impossible. Us together . . . it just doesn't work. You're always gonna want the nice normal guy. Not the 'bad boyfriend' type. And I just think I'll never be the nice guy you want. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Veronica, but_ I _don't want to get hurt either. This . . . us . . . it's just going to cause us misery in the end and I think you know that too."

She had left his apartment in tears and he had almost gone after her to take it all back. But his will was stronger this time around. He knew that if they had gotten back together then, they would have been miserable. He'd come to regret his decision a few times over the next few months, but he knew deep in his gut he had made the right choice. As much as he loved Veronica, he knew he had to let her go.


	2. Part 2: Hey, brother!

**Part 2  
****Hey, brother!  
**_December 2007_

Logan and Veronica were in that awkward 'yeah-we-used-to-date-but-we're-perfectly-ok-just-being-friends-as-if-that-was-the-most-normal-thing-in-the-world-to-do' stage.

So far it wasn't going so great.

Mac had set up dinner plans for the three of them at a new little Italian restaurant called Giovanni's near the campus. Logan and Veronica were already there waiting for Mac to arrive when 10 minutes later Logan got a call from their missing friend. Veronica listened in on Logan's side of the conversation and internally thought up of ways to get back at Mac.

"Yeah, family thing, we totally understand." He looked at Veronica and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll tell her . . . bye."

"She ditched us," Veronica stated immediately.

"Yep. She said she has some big family thing she completely forgot about."

Veronica snorted in reply. "She's such a bad liar."

"No shit," he sighed.

They remained silent, both of them trying to come up with ideas of how to cancel the entire evening. With Mac around they had a buffer and without her it was just them and their issues. Logan's stomach decided to grumble loudly at that moment and Veronica grinned.

"Hungry?" she asked.

"Just a little," he smiled back.

"Well, we_ are_ here. We might as well stay," she reasoned.

Logan nodded briefly. To say that he was still confused about their relationship was putting it mildly. He and Mac had ended up in the same Chem class this semester and they became close quickly. It was definitely a lot easier talking to her as opposed to Dick when it came to his Veronica issues. And he was sure Mac canceling on them was one of her plans to bring them together.

He was gonna kill her.

* * *

Veronica watched Logan from over the top of her menu and suppressed a sigh. It seemed that whenever they were left alone together, the air around them got tighter and tenser. She knew part of it was her doing since it seemed that she was never able to stop staring at him. She couldn't help but flashback to the times they were together. She had already admitted to Mac that she missed him, but there was no way Logan would want them to be together again. Especially after everything she had done to him as he so painfully pointed out not so long ago.

"So do you know what you're gonna do during Winter Break?" Veronica asked him, trying desperately to stop the uncomfortable silence between them.

Logan simply shrugged not looking up from his menu. "I don't know. Me and Dick will probably go to Mexico or somethin'."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "What is your guys' obsession with Mexico?"

Logan finally smirked as he looked at her. "What's not to like? Booze, drugs, chicks - its fun times waiting to happen."

"All valuable things I failed to realize. You're right, I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven," he grinned.

She smiled back at him and again the silence and the tension returned.

"So I heard from Charlie," he told her trying to quell the tension.

"Your brother Charlie?"

"I thought that was the only Charlie we knew."

She smirked at him. "What did he say?"

Logan shrugged. "He left me a voicemail. I'm thinking if he's calling me he needs a kidney or something."

She shook her head at him.

"Seriously, Veronica. The guy hates me and I don't blame him."

"How do you know he hates you?"

"Because I outed him to the public as Aaron Echolls long lost bastard son. And the few times we have talked it was brief and tense."

Logan had made very little progress with developing a relationship with his half-brother. So little, that he had given up any hope of actually meeting him.

"Maybe he wasn't ready," Veronica was saying. "Maybe now he is."

"And maybe pigs can fly," Logan added.

"And maybe you should just try again."

"Why because the last few times have gone so well?" he asked her sarcastically.

"Logan--"

"Look," he interrupted. "I don't even know why I brought this up. Let's talk about something else. I'm starting to lose my appetite."

* * *

The next day Logan came home to a note that was slid under his door.

_Logan - I'm not after any body parts. I just want to finally sit down and talk. Call me if you're up to it -Charlie._

Logan sat on the couch and sighed. He wondered if Veronica was the one behind this and he contemplated if he was ready to actually talk to his half-brother.

What to do? Call his brother or call Veronica?

He quickly dialed a number and sighed. "Hey, it's Logan."

* * *

Two days later Veronica spotted Logan in the campus food court. He was talking to Mac and a small part of her couldn't help but be jealous. He looked happy and there was no awkward silence like there was when she was with him. She contemplated stopping by to say hi, but she nixed that idea quickly. She turned on her heel and was surprised to hear her name being called out. She turned again and saw Mac waving her over. Logan had a tight smile on his face, but she was curious to know if anything had happened between him and Charlie too much to mind.

"Hey," Mac grinned. "We were just talking about you."

Veronica's eyebrow went up as she glanced at Logan. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good," Mac smiled. "But I'll leave you two alone to talk about it."

Logan tempered down a sigh. He _knew_ Mac would pull something like this. It was hard for him to be around Veronica and Mac knew that. Every time he looked at her he wanted to throw her up against whatever hard surface was available and fuck her senseless. But then he would remember all the damn reasons they weren't together anymore and he'd just be miserable. Mac knew all this, yet she continued to leave them alone. At least Veronica looked as pissed as he felt.

Veronica sat down and picked at her salad. "So have you talked to Charlie?"

Logan took in a deep breath. "Yeah, I actually got a note from him saying he wanted to talk."

"I take it he didn't want your kidney," she grinned.

"No, just part of my liver." Veronica's mouth fell open and he chuckled. "I'm kidding."

She glared at him and threw a chunk of lettuce at him. "So what happened?"

"Um, we agreed to get together. Maybe grab lunch or something."

She watched him curiously. She knew that Logan had been waiting for Charlie to come around and it sounded like this was the first step. "That's great, Logan," she told him softly.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah," he sighed. "I'm kinda nervous," he admitted quietly. "What if it's a big disaster or something?"

"And what if it turns out to be great? You're not gonna do yourself any favors if you think of every bad thing that could happen."

He nodded briefly. "True," he answered.

She picked at her salad a bit more and finally looked up at him again. "I can come with if you want."

Logan's eyebrows ascended at her offer, completely taken aback.

"I mean, to kill some of the tension between you guys or . . . forget it, it was a stupid idea."

"No," he finally sighed. "No, I appreciate the offer, Veronica. Really," he told her sincerely. "But I think this is something I need to do on my own. Thanks anyway." He smiled at her genuinely touched by her offer and she couldn't help but smile back.

"No problem," she whispered.

* * *

They decided to meet at the same Italian restaurant he and Veronica frequented earlier. Logan arrived first and he waited nervously in the waiting area for his brother. His brother. It was just so surreal. He realized then that he didn't know what the guy looked like. Veronica had shown him a grainy photo after the truth had come out, but the image was fuzzy in his minds eye. He remembered dark hair like his, but that was the extent of it. After the Vanity Fair mess he avoided all media when it came to anything involving his family.

The door opened and Logan glanced up. His throat tightened a bit and he knew that the man standing in front of him was Charlie.

"Logan?"

He nodded and rose to his feet to greet the stranger. "Hey," Logan answered as he jammed his hands in his pockets. He was staring at Charlie, he knew it, but he couldn't stop. All he could see in front of him was his father staring right back and it left him feeling cold.

"Let's get a table," Charlie finally suggested.

When they were seated, the silence continued and Logan fleetingly regretted not taking Veronica up on her offer to join them.

"So you're probably wondering why I called."

"The thought did cross my mind," Logan answered as he stared down at the table.

Charlie fiddled with the silverware in front of him. "My birthday was last week."

Logan's eyebrows knitted in confusion as he briefly looked up at him. "Ok . . . happy birthday?"

He chuckled softly. "I, um, I turned thirty and I realized it was time for me to man up so to speak. I'm not proud to say this, Logan, but the reason I hadn't made any effort for us to meet had nothing to do with you. It was because of Aaron. I guess I finally realized what a prick I was being."

"So you had, like a midlife crisis or something?" he asked and began to rearrange the silverware in front of him.

"Or something yeah. It dawned on me I have this brother out there that I don't even know and I want to change that . . . if you want the same thing that is. No pressure. I'm sure this is weird for you."

"Weird doesn't even cover it," he mumbled.

"Yeah, I bet," Charlie sighed. "I'm not saying we'll be instant best friends or anything, but maybe we can hang out one day . . . you, uh, told me once that you love to surf. You still hitting the waves?"

Logan finally grinned. "That's putting it mildly."

He chuckled. "I've only tried it a few times myself, but maybe that's something we could do."

Logan sighed as he remembered the fake Charlie who had set him up. "Yeah, maybe."

The silence between them came back.

"I, uh, I don't know what you want me to say," Logan finally told him still not looking at him.

Charlie simply shrugged. "Whatever you want."

Logan started to shred the paper napkin in front of him. "I thought you hated me," he finally confessed. "For outing you as Aaron's kid."

Charlie's eyebrows furrowed and if Veronica were there she would have pointed out that at that moment he had the same facial expression as Logan. "No way," he told him quickly. "I get that you got suckered punched by that asshole from Vanity Fair. I probably would have jumped to the same conclusion that you did. I don't blame you for that, Logan. Yeah, I was pissed off at first, but I never hated you."

He blew out a breath as he cast his gaze out the window. "That's good to know."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why won't you look at me?"

Logan's eyes flickered to him and then back to the window as he sighed. "You, uh, remind me of Aaron . . . you look like him. You got the same eyes and everything."

Charlie frowned at that as he curiously watched Logan and the pieces finally fell into place. He had been a teacher for years and the telltale signs of past abuse were right in front of him. He swiveled the glass of water in front of him for a minute. The last thing he wanted to do was wreck whatever he was trying to start, but the empathetic part of him couldn't help but ask. "How long did he abuse you?"

Logan's head quickly shot back to the man in front of him. He was the one avoiding eye contact now. "I never said--"

"You didn't have to," he sighed as he looked up and watched Logan. "I've seen lots of things in my life, Logan. That would be one of them."

"This really isn't something I wanna talk to you about," Logan told him angrily. "I just met you for fucks sake and now you wanna play big brother?"

Charlie held his arms out in defense. "Sorry, I went too far. I shouldn't--"

Logan quickly stood. "I gotta go, man. I'll see ya around or something."

He made his way out of the restaurant and Charlie sighed, resting his head in his palms. "Smooth, Stone, real smooth."

* * *

The banging at the apartment door jarred Veronica awake and she made her way to the front door, baseball bat in hand.

"Who is it?" she called out gruffly.

"Veronica, it's me, open up!" came the angry call.

Her eyebrows knit as she swung the door open, bat still in hand. "Logan, what the hell? It's one in the morning. You're lucky my dad--" She finally noticed the look on his face and pulled at his arm so that he would come into the apartment. "What happened?" she asked him concerned as she shut the door.

He paced in front of her. "Tell me the truth," he asked her calmly as he watched her. "Did you call Charlie? Did you tell him that he should meet me? Did you tell him," he swallowed thickly. "Did you tell him what my dad used to--" he couldn't finish the sentence.

Veronica dropped the bat and it clattered to the ground. "God, Logan, no!" she told him. "I wouldn't do that to you."

He nodded briefly and headed for the door again. She stopped him before he could take another step.

"You are _not_ leaving here until you tell me what happened . . . Please, Logan." Her hands fluttered to his face and she didn't know whether to touch him or not. She was so frustrated with herself and their situation that she could feel the hot tears well in her eyes. She couldn't stand it anymore and she finally grasped his face in her hands. "Tell me," she told him quietly.

He finally nodded and she led him to the couch. The space between them was little, but Veronica scooted closer to him anyways. She reached for his right hand as he rubbed his face with the other.

"I, uh, met Charlie for dinner tonight," he began softly.

He paused and she didn't dare interrupt him, so she merely squeezed his hand in response.

"He was telling me that he didn't contact me because of Aaron and that he didn't hate me for what happened with the interviews and shit." He sighed again. "It was goin' fine and then, out of nowhere, he asked me how long Aaron . . . abused me."

Veronica sucked in a breath at that. For as long as she'd known Logan that was the one subject she was never able to get him to open up about. He preferred to ignore it, pretend it didn't happen and that no one knew about it either.

"How did he know?" she asked him quietly.

He shrugged. "He gave me this bullshit story about being a teacher and knowing the signs."

She frowned again at that. "What signs?"

She could feel Logan tense next to her. "You didn't tell me he looked like him. He's got his eyes," he told her softly. "Every time I looked at him, I just saw my dad, so I just stopped looking."

"Oh, God, Logan. I'm sorry."

He nodded briefly. "I knew you didn't say anything to him. I just . . . I just didn't know where else to go."

She bit her bottom lip to keep the tears from coming, but she felt one slide down her cheek anyway. "I'm glad you came," she finally told him.

He leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. "I can't do it, Veronica. I can't be around him. All I fuckin' see is his damn face mocking me."

She leaned back as well and clenched his hand tighter, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Logan."

"Me too," he finally sighed.

* * *

"Hey."

Logan was unloading his surfboard from his Range Rover when the familiar voice startled him from behind. He turned to face Veronica, board forgotten.

"Scared ya, didn't I?" she grinned.

"You're just so short I couldn't see you come up from behind."

She smirked at him in response.

"Funny running into you here," he told her, a knowing grin on his face.

"Yeah, funny, huh?"

He tilted his head to the side. "So what's up?"

"Can't a girl just stop by and say 'hi'?"

"If that girl is you, then no."

"That hurts, Logan. Right here," she told him, pointing to her heart.

"Tough."

She finally sighed as she looked up at him. "It's been awhile since I've seen you."

Logan shrugged. "Been busy."

"Busy winter surfing or busy avoiding everyone that cares about you?"

He couldn't help but laugh. "Who elected you captain of the search party?"

"Would you believe me if I told you this was a one woman effort?"

He looked down and then back at her. "If you're the one woman - then yeah." He sighed and popped the hatch of the truck so that they could sit down.

"I've been worried about you," she finally sighed as she sat next to him. "It's been like a week since I've seen you."

"I know," he nodded. "I shouldn't have disappeared on you like that."

She shrugged slightly. "I wasn't surprised. You needed some time to think, I get that. "

He _had_ disappeared on her. The night he had shown up at Veronica's door, he had ended up staying until the following morning. She had tried to get him to talk some more about Charlie, but he refused and left. Ever since then he had been avoiding everyone - Veronica, Mac, Dick, and especially Charlie.

Veronica chewed on the inside of her cheek waiting for Logan to say something.

"So it couldn't have been that hard to find me," Logan told her with a small smile. "What'd you do? Put a trace on my cell phone or track down one of my credit cards?"

Internally Veronica groaned. The fact that Logan immediately thought that of her only reminded her of why he didn't think the two of them together worked. "No," she told him softly. "Believe it or not, I just thought of the one place I'd be able to find you."

Logan's brows rose in surprise. "Sorry, I didn't mean--"

"It's ok," she interrupted softly.

"You been doing ok?" he finally asked.

She couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped. "I should be asking you that," she told him.

"Why wouldn't I be ok?" he asked her. "No worries here."

"So you've been avoiding everyone because you're doing so good?"

"I never said I was avoiding."

"So what would you call it then? You just admitted that you disappeared on me."

He shrugged. "There's a difference between avoidance and disappearance. I've just been enjoying some alone time."

"Ahh," she nodded. "I didn't realize you suddenly became a loner."

Again he bristled next to her. "Why don't you say what you obviously can't hold back, Veronica?"

She sighed. "I just wanted to let you know that if you wanted to talk about what happened, I'm here," she told him simply. "I get that you needed space and time to process everything that's happened. I do, Logan. I guess I just wanted to remind you that you're not alone."

He opened his mouth to respond, but Veronica beat him to the punch.

"And before you tell me you're fine again, I just wanted to say I know you and I know when you're 'fine'. And guess what? You're not fine."

Logan sat there silently for a moment processing what she had said. She didn't say anything more. She just simply swung her legs from her perch on the truck.

"He's called a few times," Logan finally sighed.

"You sound surprised," she offered quietly already knowing he was speaking about Charlie.

"I guess I am," he admitted. "We didn't leave things on good terms you know."

Again Veronica nodded. "Have you actually talked to him?"

"No," he sighed. "I haven't even checked my voicemail," he admitted.

"But you're not avoiding," she teased him.

"Maybe just a little."

"So have you gotten the urge to call him back yet . . . or check your messages at least?"

He shrugged slightly. "I've been avoiding thinking about that," he told her honestly. He pulled his cell from his back pocket and twirled it a bit.

"What are you thinking?" she asked him quietly.

He sucked in a breath and flipped open the phone and pressed one for his voicemail. Veronica continued to sit next to him watching him every now and then. Logan listened to all of his messages. He was surprised there was only one from Veronica simply stating that she was there if he wanted to talk. The others were from Dick and Mac and one from a girl he went out with a month ago. The last one was from Charlie.

"Hey, Logan, it's Charlie. I, uh, know things went bad last time, but I was hoping you'd be willing to meet up again. I'm really sorry about last week, honestly. It wasn't my place to say anything about . . . anything. I hope you're doing well and um, give me a call, ok?"

Logan snapped his phone shut and Veronica looked at him, trying to read his thoughts. "You ok?"

He looked at her and smirked. "You only left me one message, Veronica - I'm shocked."

She smiled in return. "I just did what I thought you'd want me to do, Logan. Leave you alone."

He nodded slightly. "Thanks." He paused for a moment. "Charlie wants to meet again," he sighed. "He said he was sorry about what happened last time."

She nodded slightly. "That's good," she offered.

"Yeah," he muttered.

They both remained silent.

"I don't think I can do it, Veronica," he admitted quietly. "Forget about the shit that he brought up," he continued. "I just keep seeing Aaron instead of Charlie. The bastard's dead, but I can't get rid of him."

Veronica processed his thoughts. "I can't tell you what to do, Logan. I can't imagine what it was like to meet Charlie for the first time and then be hit with this. But . . . don't let your dad win this one." she sucked in a quick breath. "Aaron's dead . . . he can't hurt you anymore. Charlie may look like him, but he's nothing like him. At least not from what you've told me. Don't let your dad ruin a relationship with your only brother."

"Easier said than done," Logan muttered in return.

Veronica nodded in agreement and looked up towards the ocean. Her eyes widened when she saw who was approaching them.

"Logan--"

He looked at her and followed her gaze. He sucked in a breath and hopped off the truck in dread - or was it anticipation - he wasn't sure.

"I wasn't following you," Charlie told him before Logan could even say anything. "I swear to God, I didn't know you'd be here."

Veronica was staring. It had been a little over a year since she had seen Charlie and she couldn't believe how right Logan was. The more she looked the more she realized how much he looked like Aaron. It was unnerving to say the least. She glanced at Logan and flexed her hand to stop herself from reaching out to him. Her gaze traveled to Charlie and back again.

"I'm gonna leave the two of you alone," she finally offered quietly. But before she could take a step forward, Logan clasped her hand tightly to keep in her place. "Or I can stay," she finished quietly.

"You must be Logan's girlfriend," Charlie tentatively smiled.

She reached her hand out to greet him. "Veronica. And I'm the ex actually, we're just friends now."

It was always so hard to describe her relationship with Logan. He technically was her ex-boyfriend slash current friend who she still loved but couldn't be with for a hundred different reasons that seemed less important everyday.

"Nice to meet you," he told her quietly.

"What are you doing here?" Logan finally asked him.

Charlie shrugged. "I thought I'd catch a few waves," he smiled slightly.

But Logan didn't fall for his lie. "Kinda outta your way," he told him with a tilt of his head.

Charlie shrugged. "Just a little."

"So you came out this way hoping to run into me," he clarified.

Again he sighed. "Yeah . . . look I just wanted to apologize in person in case you didn't get my message. It wasn't my place to say anything about your life. I'm a stranger to you, I get that. I just want to change that. I'm sorry if looking at me brings up bad memories or whatever. I just hope that that won't affect a relationship between us."

Veronica squeezed Logan's hand. It was hard for her to look at Charlie. Memories of Aaron trying to kill her and her father floated in her mind as well as thoughts of Lilly. She had to remind herself that Aaron was gone and it wasn't Charlie's fault he looked so strikingly like him. She glanced at Logan who was staring at Charlie, his jaw clenched.

"I just need some time," Logan finally sighed. "I just need to process everything you know?"

"Yeah," Charlie sighed and nodded his head resigned. "You have my number, call me when you're ready to talk," he added before he started to walk away.

"Charlie," Logan called out.

Charlie quickly turned to face him and Logan squeezed Veronica's hand for support.

"Maybe we can do lunch or something."

"That'd be great," Charlie grinned widely. "Bring Veronica along if you want," he added.

"Maybe," Logan agreed. "I'll, uh, give you a call later this week."

"Great," he continued to grin and waved goodbye.

Veronica turned to face Logan. "You ok?" she asked him softly.

"Surprisingly -- yeah. I just kept thinking about what you said. I'm not gonna let my dad win this one."

* * *

_One Month Later_

"Welcome to the world of Halo 3," Logan grinned as he started the game.

Charlie grinned as he grabbed the other controller. "Get ready to get your ass kicked, little brother."

Logan snorted loudly. "You wish, old man. Did they even have video games back in your era?"

His comment earned him a punch to his shoulder. "If that's what you need to tell yourself to get over the fact that I beat you at Madden last week, more power to you."

The two brothers engrossed themselves in the game as if it were the most normal thing in the world. A half hour later, Charlie finally let out what he was thinking. "So how are things going with you and Veronica?"

Logan paused slightly at Charlie's question and it caused him to almost get shot. He quickly looked over at Charlie who was still engrossed in the game. "What do you mean?"

Charlie paused the game and Logan looked on at the frozen TV in disbelief. "Fill me in, kid."

"What, are you a twelve year old girl now?" Logan asked him as he dropped the controller to the ground and turned to look at his brother.

Charlie grinned at Logan and scratched the side of his cheek. "Seriously, what's going on with you two?"

Logan narrowed his eyes a bit trying to read Charlie's thought patterns. Veronica had been brought up once or twice in their conversations, and Logan had simply told him that they were done and over. No more, no less. "We used to date and now we're not," he told him simply.

He shook his head in response. "Ya know, whenever I don't want to talk about a chick that's done serious damage, I always give the simplest answers. Like you," he added with a grin.

"I never said she's done serious damage," Logan tried to defend himself.

"You didn't have to. Been there, done that and all that shit."

"So then why are you asking?"

"Because unlike me, I can definitely see that there's still something going on between you two. She still loves you, Logan."

He snorted in amusement. "You've met Veronica like what - four times? What makes you think she loves me?"

He shrugged slightly. "I don't know. You kinda can't help but notice, you know. She worries about you, she obviously cares about you--"

"We're friends," he interrupted.

"There's something else there, Logan."

He sighed tiredly and ran a hand down his hair. "Charlie, look, this really isn't something I wanna talk about. Me and Veronica . . . we just don't work."

"It couldn't have been that bad of a breakup if you're still friends."

Logan took a pull of his nearby beer. "It was bad," he finally admitted. "Me and Veronica . . . we were together, but not really together. I loved her and sometimes I wondered if she even_ liked _me. Fuck, I don't even know how we managed to get together in the first place. At first we were friends for a long time and then Lilly--"

"The girlfriend Aaron--?"

"Yeah, after that -- we pretty much hated each other. I treated her like shit for the longest time and then my mom died." He sucked in a breath at the memory and briefly wondered if that pain would ever go away. "She helped me a lot to put it mildly and she didn't have to. We started to be friends again and then we just . . . jumped into this relationship that lasted like a few weeks. She accused me of Lilly's murder, shit happened and we ended up back together again, but that only lasted through the summer." He frowned at his own thoughts. "It took practically another year for us to get back together again and it was thanks to another disaster with Cassidy Casablancas."

"The kid who jumped?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "Then after that, the semester started and we dated and then we broke up, got back together again and guess what? Broke up. And then she followed that up a little later on by telling me that I was out of her life for good."

Charlie couldn't help but snort. The last thing Logan was for Veronica was out of her life.

"You know what though, Charlie. During the entire time we were together or not together, I knew -- I knew deep in my gut that it wasn't going to work. She doesn't trust me. She never did and I don't think she ever will. And when she finally told me that she loved me, I thought she was going to give herself a heart attack from the effort." He snorted bitterly. "The bottom line, big brother, is that Veronica Mars could care less about me."

"Wow," Charlie sighed. "That has got to be the most self-pitying story I've ever heard."

He frowned. "It's not self-pity, it's true."

"You're going to sit there and tell me that everything you did in your relationship was right? You did no wrong?"

"For shit's sake, of course I fucked up. I admitted it then too. The difference is that once I did something wrong, Veronica couldn't get over it. She wants that normal guy that doesn't have any baggage. I was never good enough for her." He shrugged resigned. "I'll never be good enough."

"Do you still love her? Tell the truth."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I never stopped loving her."

Charlie took that moment to slap him across the back of his head.

"What the fuck was that for?" Logan asked him angrily.

"Just trying to knock some sense into that thick head of yours."

"Wh--"

"Shut up for a minute," Charlie interrupted him. "Look, Logan, I've been in a lot of relationships with a lot of women and for one reason or another, things go wrong. What you have with Veronica, that's something big. That's something that everyone wants. A once in a lifetime opportunity. Don't blow it."

"Didn't you hear anything I said? Me and Veronica don't work."

"Veronica and I," he corrected him.

"Seriously? You're gonna pull the teacher card right now?"

"Sorry, habit. You're still not getting my point."

"Charlie, what the hell _is_ your point?"

"You're fooling yourself if you think that things are 'over' between the two of you. It's screwing with your head. Next time you see her, open your eyes and see what's staring right back at you. Trust me, you won't regret it."

* * *

_Three Weeks Later_

Logan glanced down at his watch and sighed. "I think we've been stood up again."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Did Mac get a hold of Charlie already?"

"Apparently," he grinned. "Whatever. You still hungry?"

"When am I not?" she grinned back. "You're not allowed to eat the garlic bread," she told him as he signaled for the waitress.

"What? Why?"

"I am not going to be stuck in a car with you when you have garlic breath."

He started to laugh. "Veronica, we're in an Italian restaurant. Everything they have here has garlic in it."

She wrinkled her nose. "Just stay away from the bread."

He started to pout. "But that's my favorite thing they have here."

She rolled her eyes in return. "Fine, but you need to chew a whole pack of gum before we leave."

"Deal," he grinned.

A comfortable silence settled between them and Veronica couldn't help but reflect how much had changed in the past two months. She and Logan had become closer and even better friends. There was still some unresolved tension between them, but it was a thousand times better than before.

Logan tilted his head to the side as he discretely watched Veronica stare at him. To say that things were better was putting it mildly. He and Veronica had become closer. And although he never thought he'd be 'over' Veronica, where they were in their relationship was probably the healthiest it had ever been. The urge to grab her and kiss her, he'd realized, would never stop. So he learned to quell the instinct instead.

He grinned at her and she smiled back.

"What?" she laughed.

"You were the one checking me out," he teased her.

She scoffed lightly. "In your dreams, Echolls." The truth was that she wanted him back, but she knew it was pointless. Logan would never get over the reasons they separated so long ago. "You have something on your face," she lied. "That's why I was looking at you."

He frowned and rubbed at his cheek.

She leaned over and gently brushed his other cheek. "All better," she told him softly.

He smiled back at her. "Thanks . . . for everything," he added softly.

She shrugged in return. "Buy me dinner and we'll call it even."

He shook his head slightly. "I mean it, Veronica," he told her softly. "I don't think me and Charlie would have had a second shot if it weren't for you. I was ready to forget he existed."

"That was all you, Logan," she corrected him. "I was just there for moral support. You're not giving yourself enough credit."

He shrugged. "Maybe, but I still couldn't have done it without you."

She smiled sadly. "That's what friends are for, right?"

He looked down at the table and back at her. "Right."

Again the silence descended.

"So are you and Charlie still going surfing next weekend?"

"Yeah," he grinned. "I think he finally has the whole surfing thing down."

"You're a good teacher," she smiled.

"Nah," he shook his head. "He already knew the basics. He just needed some pointers and someone to ride his ass."

She laughed. "You are good at that."

"I know," he grinned.

"So things are still going good with the two of you then?"

He shrugged. "It's weird having a brother, but yeah. I guess I can't complain."

Things had surprisingly been going really well for them. He and Charlie had even briefly talked about the abuse he had gone through. It was one of the first times Logan had openly talked about it with anyone. They had begun to develop a friendship and Veronica had even been there a few times when they had met for lunch. Ever since Logan had opened up to Charlie about his relationship with Veronica, he continued to try to convince him that there was still something there to fight for. And Logan had to admit that every time he looked at Veronica now, he kept looking for signs. Something that would tell him that they could make it work. She smiled at him and something in his chest tugged at the simple gesture. Maybe . . .

"I'm happy for you, Logan," she told him with a smile, breaking him out of his thoughts. "It's about time things went good for you."

He chuckled softly. "It's an adjustment, that's for sure. Who knows," he told her, leaning his cheek on his palm. "Maybe things will start getting better for me after all."

"Maybe," she told him mimicking his posture.

"Who knows what the future holds, after all, right?"


	3. Part 3: What Happens In Vegas

**Part 3  
****What Happens in Vegas . . .  
**_Summer Break - June 2008_

The summer before their junior year, Mac had begged Veronica to go to Vegas with her because her favorite band, Coldplay, was playing for one night only. She had scored tickets online and a room at the MGM Grand.

"Come on, Veronica," Mac begged. "It's just to Vegas. It's not like we're going to Mexico or something."

"Mac, seriously, how long have we been friends? You know disaster follows wherever I go."

"I don't care if there's an earthquake, we're going. Plus you owe me. I tracked that pervy bastard to SoCal for you last week, remember?"

She sighed resigned, how could she argue with that? "Fine."

* * *

Logan and Dick were in Dick's new SUV on their way to Mexico, when Dick had a change of heart. "Dude, why are we goin' to Mexico?"

"Because that's where you said you wanted to go," Logan told him in a bored tone.

"We've been to Mexico like five million times already. We need to go somewhere new. Some new party destination."

Logan rolled his eyes at his friend. "Whatever," he muttered.

"Let's go to Vegas."

"What? Why?"

"Come on, dude, it'll be fun. Some gambling goodness goin' on. We'll put those fake IDs to use."

Logan shrugged, his mind drifting away. "Whatever," he muttered again.

"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Dick huffed unamused.

"What're you talkin' about?" Logan sighed.

Dick looked his friend up and down and groaned. "Aw, fuck, you ran into that bitch Veronica again didn't you?"

Logan rolled his eyes at him. "She's not a bitch," he told him immediately.

Dick snorted. "Yeah and I'm the King of Canada."

Logan finally laughed. "There's no King of Canada, dumbass."

"Whatever," he snorted. "You know what I mean. You can't even think straight after you hang out with her."

"Why are we even talking about this? It's not like we're together."

Dick rolled his eyes at his friend and let out a frustrated growl. "Damnit! I know I'm gonna regret saying this, but why the hell don't you just put yourself out of your misery and mine and hook up with her again?"

Logan shook his head. "It won't work. Me and--"

"Jesus, will you just stop already? Just suck it up, dude and tell her you want her back. Maybe then you'll be fun again."

Logan simply sat back and sighed. It was more than that. He had been repeating his own rebuttal to everyone and anyone, but he was beginning to believe it less and less. The truth was he just didn't want to get hurt again. Period, end of story. And giving in to his feelings for Veronica had done nothing but cause him pain in the past. It was safer to keep her at a distance, no matter how much it hurt him. Because the alternative? He was sure would leave an open wound that would never heal.

* * *

"When are you finally going to tell me what's wrong?" Mac sighed as she drove them to Vegas.

Veronica groaned. "Please tell me I'm not that obvious."

"You're not that obvious. What is it?"

"Me and Logan--"

"Oh God," Mac groaned interrupting her. "I just don't get why the two of you just don't get back together again. You're both miserable as hell. You obviously still love each other. And you're both driving your friends insane with your woe-is-me complex."

Veronica narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "That is not what I'm doing."

"No? You're the one that had a fit when you found out he went out with whatsherface last month."

"That's because she's a whore."

"Please, Veronica. How many guys have you dated since that idiot Piz?"

Veronica frowned. There weren't that many, she could count them all on one hand. "What's your point?"

"Do you know how many times I've had to go thru twenty questions with Logan when he was grilling me about you?"

Mac had surprisingly become good friends with Logan in the past year. They had been spending so much time together that Veronica had even gotten jealous a few times. And ever since Wallace had moved to New York last semester, Mac was her go to girl on all things Logan.

"As many times I've had to do the same with you," Mac was telling her. "It's not cute anymore. Just suck it up and confront him. Tell him you wanna try again."

"He said we were horrible together--"

"Ugh!" Mac groaned. She had heard Veronica's spiel so many times that she had it memorized by now. "It's been like ten years since he's said that."

"It's been like a year," she corrected.

"Whatever. You've both changed since then, right?"

Veronica nodded slightly. She and Logan were close friends again. Closer than ever. And they'd been spending a lot of time together. Veronica knew that those changes in Logan were there because she had seen them. He wasn't as quick tempered as before and he was concentrating more on school as opposed to the parties.

And her own trust issues were finally working themselves out. She no longer questioned everything she heard. Especially when it came to Logan. The last thing on her mind was repeating something she would have done in the past like following him in order to catch him in a lie. She had even gotten over the ridiculousness of why she had broken up with him the last time. With help from Mac of course.

_"So he slept with Madison Sinclair while the two of you were broken up."_

_"Can you believe that asshole? He knows what she did to me that night at Shelly Pomroy's party. He knows what happened because of that and he still slept with her."_

_"While you were broken up."_

_"Mac, do not defend him."_

_She raised her hands in defense. "I'm just saying the guy apologized for sleeping with someone else while you were no longer together." _

_"You make me sound stupid when you say it like that."_

_"Your words not mine. Besides from what you've told me, if you were able to forgive Duncan, you should be able to forgive Logan."_

_Her frown deepened. "Forgive Duncan for what?"_

_"Well," she sighed. "He dumped you when he thought you were his sister and didn't even bother to tell you. He slept with you when you were drugged up - even though he still thought you were his sister. He got another girl pregnant and kept it all hush hush from you --"_

_"Ok, stop," Veronica sighed. "I really am a horrible bitch aren't I?"_

_"Only when it comes to Logan for some reason. Maybe you just want to push him away because how alike you are. Or because you know how perfect you are for each other." She shrugged. "Who knows?"_

"My advice," Mac told her, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Is that you suck it up and just tell him you want him back. Believe me it'll make _everyone_ happy."

* * *

Mac and Veronica had arrived earlier than expected at the MGM that they decided to check out the sites on the Strip soon after they arrived. They were making their way across the lobby, when they unexpectedly ran into Logan and Dick.

"Bow-chic-a-bow-wow. It's Nerdy Mac and Ms. Righteous herself," Dick laughed as they joined them.

Mac shuffled her feet a bit. She never really knew how to act around Dick after the whole 'Cassidy Thing'. Not that she did beforehand, but now it was a hundred times worse.

"Dick, what a surprise. I didn't think they let pet pigs into the hotel."

He smirked at her in return. "Trying out for one of the hookers they advertise on the Strip, Ronnie? You got the experience after all."

Logan elbowed Dick in the ribs. "Stop," he sighed.

Dick rolled his eyes in return. "She started it."

Logan turned back to Veronica and Mac and finally grinned. "What are you two doing here?"

Mac smiled at him, trying to formulate a plan in her mind. "We're in town for the Coldplay concert," she answered for the both of them.

She refused to subject herself to more miserableness from Veronica and Logan. If she had her way, she'd get the two of them back together again. Tonight if possible. She glanced at Dick. He might even be able to help.

"We were on our way to the--," Veronica began.

"Front desk," Mac finished quickly. "Our room smells like something died in there."

Veronica looked at her as if she had grown two heads. "Mac wh--"

"Seriously, it's nasty," Mac continued on, ignoring Veronica. "We were gonna ask for a new room."

Logan looked between the girls. "Why don't you just stay with us?" he offered. "We have a double suite."

"Wh--" Dick began but was stopped when Mac rammed the heel of her shoe on his foot. "Shit!"

"Just shut up for a minute," she hissed at him quietly.

Logan and Veronica didn't seem to notice as Veronica began to turn down Logan's offer.

Mac pulled Dick to the side and yanked his arm down so that he could lean down and hear her closer. "Listen to me! I don't know about you, but I am sick of hearing Veronica complain about Logan. And I know that Logan's been doing the same damn thing. We get them in a room together and they'll make up and we can go back to our lives being normal. Well, normal for us that is."

Dick eyed her and finally grinned. "Go Mac Attack with the super smart idea!"

She grinned at him.

"I'm in. What do we do?"

"Stay away from them as much as possible so that they can sort out their own mess."

"You got it, Small Fry."

"Seriously, Logan, I don't know what Mac is on--"

"If you don't mind," Mac interrupted again. "I'd love to totally take you up on your offer. I'm not gonna be able to sleep in that room again. You two have no idea!"

"Dude, we gotta take them in. This one time I know I totally ran over a skunk--"

"Ok," Veronica interrupted as she glared at Mac. "We'll stay in your room tonight."

"Sweet!" Dick chimed in.

Logan shook his head in confusion. "Well, we were on our way there right now. Need help bringing your stuff up?"

"Yes, please," Mac grinned.

Dick and Logan led the way and Veronica and Mac were a few steps behind. "What in the world has gotten into you?" Veronica asked her quietly.

Mac simply shrugged. "The room was creeping me out."

"Then why didn't you say something before?"

"I was gonna mention it before we ran into them. It's no biggie. Plus Logan doesn't mind."

"But I do," Veronica sighed. The last thing Veronica wanted was to be in the same hotel room as Logan. Too many memories would be assaulting her from every which way. It was gonna be torture.

"It'll be fun," Mac was telling her cheerfully. "Plus we'll hardly see them. They'll probably be out all night anyways."

And If Mac had her way, they would be right along with them.

"That was weird wasn't it?" Logan asked Dick as they headed towards the girls' room.

Dick simply shrugged. "Dunno, dude. What if the mob stuffed a dead body in their room? How sweet would that be?"

Logan rolled his eyes at him. He was still debating if he had made the right call. Having Veronica in the same room was going to be torture. He was sure he wasn't going to get a lick of sleep. "You don't mind Veronica and Mac staying with us?" he asked Dick.

"Whatever. It's not like we don't have the space. Plus I don't plan on being there all night to worry about them."

"It's so easy to make you happy, Dick," Logan finally grinned.

"Yeah, I know," he laughed.

* * *

Dick and Mac managed to meet in the hallway outside of the hotel suite with Logan and Veronica none the wiser. Mac guessed this was going to be her one and only opportunity to get them together without any suspicion.

"So what's the plan, Small Fry?"

Mac chewed at her bottom lip and an idea finally dawned on her. She grabbed his forearm excitedly. "Where are you two going tonight?" He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes. "No strippers, hookers or showgirls tonight, Dick."

His grin fell. "Aw, come on."

"Look, me and Veronica aren't going to 'accidentally' run into you in one of those places."

He sighed and thought quickly. "Do you have ID's?"

She sighed and pulled out her ID that dated her at twenty-two. "Of course."

"Ok, there's a club off the strip called _Delilah_. Every cabbie knows where it is. Meet us there in two hours."

"How do I know this place is decent?"

"I guess you'll have to trust me, Small Fry," he winked.

She smirked back at him. "Fine, I'll see you in two hours."

* * *

"Mac, where in the world are we going?" Veronica asked her as she scooted over in the cab.

"I heard Coldplay might show up at this club called _Delilah_ tonight. We have to be there."

Veronica laughed at her. "You're turning into a regular stalker."

"Everything I learned, I learned from you," she shot back.

When they arrived at the club, Mac was admittedly surprised. A big part of her had expected Dick to screw her over and send them to some hole in the wall dive. But _Delilah_ was exactly what she hoped for - a classy place where Veronica wouldn't get suspicious.

Veronica eyed the line for the entrance and sighed. It looked like there were at least thirty people ahead of them.

"Hey, go wait in line. I'm gonna go see if I can get us in."

Veronica's eyebrows rose. "How do you plan to do that?"

"You're not the only one with hidden talents," Mac grinned.

Veronica smiled at her. "Ok, hot shot, make me proud."

Mac made her way to the bouncer and prayed that Dick Casablancas had the foresight to tip the guy so they could get in right away.

"Hi," she grinned at the burly looking dude. "A friend of mine is in there and I'm sure he let you know that my friend and I would be by later to join him."

The bouncer eyed her warily and finally pulled out a pad of paper from his back pocket. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

Mac bit her bottom lip, trying to think like Dick. "It's probably under Mac Attack and Ms. Righteous."

His finger went down the list and gave a small nod. "Go on in."

She held on to her squeal and grinned instead. "Let me go grab my friend. I'll be right back." She raced to the back of the line and laughed when she met Veronica. "Come on, we don't have to wait."

Veronica's mouth fell open. "How the hell--"

"I got my secrets too, Veronica," she laughed as they made their way inside the club.

_Delilah_ turned out to be a new upscale club-slash-karaoke bar that was the hottest thing in Vegas at the moment. The club wasn't that big and it didn't take long for Mac to spot Dick.

"You wanna grab a drink while we wait for a table?" Mac asked.

"Sure," Veronica shrugged.

They made their way to the bar and Dick finally saw them approach. He was able to signal Mac to sit at the other end of the bar. She frowned slightly but edged her way in that direction.

"So what are the chances of Coldplay showing up tonight?" Veronica asked her after taking their seats.

"Um, like twenty percent," Mac lied. Veronica rolled her eyes. "Come on Veronica, I had to take the chance."

"You're obsessed," she grinned.

"So sue me," she laughed back.

The bartender came by and placed two drinks in front of them.

"Oh, we haven't ordered yet," Veronica informed him.

"No need. The two gentlemen on the other side paid for these."

Veronica and Mac swiveled in their seats to see who the bartender was pointing out. Logan and Dick raised their beer bottles in greeting.

Mac grinned. Dick had done the impossible and had impressed her. Veronica couldn't help the smile on her face either. Logan always managed to have that effect on her.

"Let's go over there," Mac told her.

"What?"

"Come on," she insisted as she hopped off her barstool and made her way to her goal. She prayed that Veronica was behind her and sighed in relief when Dick winked at her. She froze slightly at that thought, but let it slip when she felt Veronica at her side.

"Hey," Logan grinned.

Veronica's smile widened. "Hey."

"Didn't think we'd run into you two tonight," Mac offered.

"This is the place to be, Small Fry," Dick informed her.

"I heard Coldplay might show up tonight," she told him with hidden glee.

Dick grinned as he realized how she got Veronica there. He was impressed. "Yeah? That'd be sweet."

"Your table's ready, sir," a young waitress informed Logan.

"You guys wanna sit with us?" Logan asked them.

Mac turned to look at Veronica with a pout on her face and Dick made his cursory eye roll.

"Sure," Veronica finally answered, never breaking her gaze with Logan.

Mac watched as Logan and Veronica made their way forward. "It's working," Mac told Dick excitedly.

He couldn't help but laugh. "All because of you, Mac Attack."

"Couldn't have done it without you," she admitted.

They stared at each other for a minute, but looked away quickly when they heard Logan call their names.

"Coming!" Mac called back and winced at the crack in her voice.

"After you, Small Fry," Dick told her.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Let's see how good your plan is."

* * *

Quite a few drinks later it seemed as if Mac's plan was working brilliantly. Logan and Veronica were so engrossed with each other that they never thought that their chance meeting was actually a set up. And Mac and Dick never made them think any different.

Veronica had lost her fifth game of quarters and they egged her on to use the karaoke machine as her punishment. She didn't protest and stumbled to the stage as the group laughed along with her. She flipped thru the song book and almost immediately stopped at a song choice. When she got to the mic, Logan, Dick, and Mac hollered at her in all their drunken glory.

"This song," she grinned, "is for you, Logan."

Mac screamed excitedly in return and Logan's wide smile could be seen from the stage.

_I've got a fever  
__Come check it and see  
__There's something burning and rolling in me  
__We may not last but we'll have fun till it ends  
__C'mon baby be my bad boyfriend_

_I wanna hear you call out my name  
__I wanna see you burn up in flames  
__Keep you on ice so I can show all my friends  
__C'mon baby be my bad boyfriend_

This time Dick and Logan got caught up in the applauding and cheering. Veronica continued to sashay around the stage thoroughly amused by her situation.

_So ripe so sweet come suck it and see  
__But watch out Daddy I sting like a bee  
__I know some tricks I swear will give you the bends  
__C'mon baby be my bad boyfriend_

_My fever's rising you ran into luck  
__Say what sugar  
__You wanna get what?  
__I wanna give you one hundred and ten  
__C'mon baby be my bad boyfriend_

"Wooo! Strut it, Veronica!" Mac yelled out giddily.

"Go, Vee!" Dick chimed in and Logan laughed at his best friend.

"What? She's good," he admitted grudgingly.

Logan grinned and focused his attention back on his ex. He was glad he wasn't so drunk that he wouldn't be able to remember to tease her about this tomorrow.

_It's wild the way you tease me  
__It's wild the way you free me  
__It's wild the way you reach me  
__Wrapped me up in your wire from the start_

_You've got the women waiting in line  
__I'm not asking you to make up your mind  
__But I can make you happy at least now and then  
__I've got something special for my bad boyfriend_

_If you can't love me honey go on just pretend  
__I've saved something special for the very end  
__If you can't love me honey go on just pretend  
__C'mon baby be my bad boyfriend_

Logan laughed when she sat back down to the cheers and applause from the rest of the club. "I hope you weren't trying to tell me something," he smiled as he leaned into her personal space. "I'm reformed remember?"

"Yeah, right," she laughed back. "You'll always be the bad boyfriend, Logan."

"Is that good or bad?" he grinned.

"Oh, it's real good," she grinned back.

He was thisclose to kissing her, but a part of him pulled back. He didn't want to take advantage of her in her condition. "You're tanked, Veronica," he told her quietly with a smile.

"Yeah?" she told him, leaning into him even more. "You gonna be my knight in shining armor and take care of me or something?"

"Sorry, I left my horse back in Neptune."

She laughed and Logan continued to smile at her. As much as he tried to push his feelings away for her, they continued to come back and hit him in the face a hundred times harder. He was still in love with her and he realized then that he never _wanted_ to stop loving her either.

"I think we should go," he told her quietly, their mouths still close but not close enough.

"Where we going, Lancelot?"

"I don't know, but we'll figure it out when we get there." He turned back to Mac and Dick who were downing yet another shot. "You guys ready to go?" he asked them

Mac pouted. "But I was winning at quarters."

"We can finish in the car, Small Fry," Dick told her. "We'll get our liquor to go," he grinned.

Her eyes widened a bit. "You can do that?"

"Fuck yeah," he laughed.

Logan shook his head at them bemused and signaled for the waitress to bring them the check.

* * *

Mac slowly let her eyes open to the screaming mid afternoon daylight and she quickly had to fight the urge to upchuck everything she drank the night before. She shifted slightly in the bed and when she felt the lump next to her, she turned on her back, completely choosing to ignore the searing pain her brain was in. Her eyes widened when she finally realized where she was and with who. And the blood curdling scream managed to wake everyone in the suite.

Veronica raised her head from Logan's chest and winced at the slight pain she felt. Logan, for his part, shifted a bit and tightened his hold on her waist. It was then that she heard Mac cursing loudly and she shook Logan.

"Logan, wake up. Something's wrong."

Logan groaned and tried to roll over onto his stomach but the weight holding him down finally hit him. "Veronica?" his garbled voice asked. He felt her leave his side and it was then that he heard Mac's angry voice carry throughout the suite. "What the fuck?" he asked, still not completely aware of his surroundings.

But Veronica was already at the door. "Get up," she told him again.

Logan slowly made his way out of the bed and glanced down to see that he was still wearing his jeans from the night before. At least he hadn't done something stupid, he reasoned to himself. A quick glance at the alarm clock told him that it was already past three in the afternoon and he was thankful that all he felt as a result from the night before was a slight headache and a cricked neck.

He made his way to Dick's room and stood close to Veronica frowning down at her. "What's goin' on?" he asked her.

"I don't know," Veronica frowned.

She was watching Mac argue with Dick over something and images of the night before began to play before her eyes. The club, the singing, the drinks and more drinks. The little white . . .

Her hands came up to cover her mouth and she turned to look up at Logan.

"What?" he asked her curiously off her look.

"Last night," she finally answered. "After the club . . ."

Logan furrowed his eyebrows and thought back to the night before. His eyes widened and he turned to look back at Mac and Dick.

"What the fuck did you do?" Mac was yelling at him.

"Whoa, calm down, woman," Dick told her warily. His eyes were barely registering due to the glaring sunlight coming in throughout the room. He groaned slightly and stretched trying to assess his whereabouts. He'd waken up with a killer hangover too many times to count, but he had a screeching chick at his side this time.

"Dick--" Logan finally called out to him.

Dick turned in the direction of his voice and grinned. "Hey, dude." He frowned when he noticed the expression on his face. "I didn't get some crazy tattoo on my face or something did I?"

"Well," Veronica answered for him. "No tattoo, but 'something' yeah."

He frowned again and turned to Mac who was now pacing back and forth. "Whoa, Small Fry, have too much coffee or what?"

Mac turned back to face him. "Dick," she told him more calmly than she felt. "Last night. Do you remember what happened?"

Dick ran his hands through his hair as he yawned. "Yeah, we got wasted at _Delilah_ and then we--" his arms fell to his sides as the memories finally came to him.

"I'm Mrs. Dick!" Mac cried as she held out her hand to show him the ring on her finger.

Dick's knees buckled as he stared at Mac. "Oh, fuck," he groaned.

They were drunk. So when they passed by the Little White Chapel around 3:30am, it sounded like a good idea at the time. They had gone there to bear witness to at least one Vegas wedding, but after waiting for a half hour and no one showed, they decided to make their own dreams come true. They had flipped a coin to see who would do the deed and Mac and Dick had won and Logan and Veronica were the witnesses. They had even sprung for the twenty dollar matching bands to boot. They had thought it was the funniest thing in the world and decided to call it a night afterwards.

"This is all your fault," Mac was accusing Dick. "We were supposed to stick to the plan. This wasn't in the plan!"

Veronica's eyebrows knitted at that. "What plan, Mac?"

Mac turned to her and for a split second regretted her words, but that didn't last long. "My plan," she confessed. "I had a plan to get you and Logan back together again and Dick was helping."

Dick groaned at that, of course she would rat him out.

"Last night? That was a setup?" Logan questioned.

"That's right," she told them irate.

"Mac, how could you--"

"I don't care," she interrupted Veronica. "I just took the initiative for you. You know deep down this is what you wanted to happen." Mac pressed her fingertips to her pulsating temples. "You love Logan," she told her. "And Logan loves you. You're both miserable without the other."

"That's not--" he tried to deny.

"Not true?" Mac interrupted. "You big . . . liar . . . person." She groaned from all of the arguing, her head felt like it was going to explode.

Veronica shook her head at her friend. "Mac, this is just so wrong."

"Wrong?" she squeaked. "Tell me you don't want to be with Logan," Mac demanded. Veronica's mouth snapped shut. "Logan?" She turned to him. "Tell me you don't want to be with Veronica." He couldn't answer her. "That's why I had my plan - that worked by the way."

"Mac--"

"I dare you to kiss Logan and tell me you don't feel anything for him," she argued.

"I'm--"

"Kiss him!" Mac shouted.

Veronica was so startled at her outburst that she didn't argue. She pulled Logan's head down and planted a kiss on him.

"Now tell him you love him," Mac told her more quietly. Veronica glared at her friend again. "Just tell him!" Mac yelped.

Veronica looked back at Logan who looked as bemused and confused as her. She couldn't help but grin. She should have known that Mac would pull something like this. "I love you, Logan," Veronica told him quietly.

He snorted in return.

"Logan, don't make me go over there," Mac threatened him.

He rolled his eyes at Mac. "I love you too, Veronica," he sighed.

Mac narrowed her eyes at her two friends. "You think I'm kidding around, but I know that you two meant that more than you're willing to admit. And I'll be damned if the two of you aren't together by the time we go home."

She turned to look at Dick, already exhausted even though she had only been awake for ten minutes. "I want a divorce," she told him.

"But what about the kids?" Dick asked her with a smirk.

She snorted in response and finally sank down on the bed next to him. "This is not how I expected to start the day."

"And it's how I did?" he asked her curiously.

"Oh, God," she groaned. "I can't believe I got drunk-married in Vegas. Those are the people I mock. I've become mockable."

Dick sighed as he flopped back on the bed. "Don't worry, Small Fry," he told her with a yawn. "I'll take care of it."

"Maybe mom and dad will make it after all," Logan told Veronica as they watched Dick and Mac.

She snorted and turned to face him again. "Mac was right, you know," she admitted. "I do love you. I never stopped." She smiled at him softly as the words she had been dying to say for over a year finally came spilling out. "I can't let you go, Logan. I'll _never_ be able to let you go."

He smiled at her and reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind her hair. "I realized last night that I'll never be able to stop loving you either, Veronica . . . I've tried, for my own sanity, but it doesn't work. I_ don't _want to stop loving you." He ran his hand down her hair. "So what do you say we try this again?"

She grinned and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. When they pulled away they were both smiling. "I say yes," she whispered.

Logan glanced in Mac and Dick's direction and back to Veronica. "Let's go back to my room," he told her softly. "I think we need to talk about this some more."

They settled themselves on the bed and Logan turned to her after a moment, clasping his hands together.

"When we were together," he began softly, "you didn't trust me."

She nodded slowly, realizing that this was it. This would be the make or break for them. If she wasn't completely honest with Logan right now, they would never make this work. "I know. I-I think a part of me was too scared. Opening myself up to someone so completely at the risk of it all coming down on me. You . . . you have this huge heart, Logan. I don't know how you do it. Everybody takes and takes and takes and you still give all you can. More than people deserve. I think that same part in me was broken. But this . . . us being apart . . . I don't know, it's as if that part of me mended itself. That part of me that was too scared to completely let go. To completely love you. It's almost as if it took me losing you to make that part of me work right. I love you. So much. I meant what I said. I don't want to let you go. And if you're not ready. If you still feel you need more time - I can wait."

He sighed heavily as he moved to sit closer to her. "Veronica, you know I've always loved you. Maybe too much too soon. Maybe I got too attached to the thought of an 'us' . . . I want this to work between us. But if you can't trust me--"

"I trust you, Logan. I do. I trust you with my life. My heart. My soul. Everything."

He smiled gently at her.

"Do you trust me?" she asked him quietly.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you used to think that the two of us wouldn't work. That we'd cause each other misery, remember?"

He nodded as his own words came back to him. "Honestly? I stopped thinking that a while ago. I like to think that we're in a good place right now, Veronica. We're closer now than when we were together. It's almost like we only functioned when there was a bunch of crises to worry about and when the smoke settled, it fell apart. I just didn't want to admit it to anyone because the thought of losing you again, especially now, it wasn't worth the risk."

She murmured softly in agreement.

"If we're going to do this, I think we need to let the past go. If we don't, we'll just keep circling back to it again and again. We both have issues, Veronica. Hell our issues have issues. But as long as we can talk about them and not ignore them --"

"We'll be ok."

He took her hand in his. "Maybe this time apart was exactly what we needed. I know I don't want to go through it again."

She peered up at him, her eyes dancing across his face. "You've been in this constant state of evolution, Logan and it amazes me. I didn't see it until it was too late, but it was there. You've been hurt by so many people, so many times."

"You've been hurt too, Veronica. By me."

"I've hurt you too," she reminded him softly. "The difference is, you forgave me and I . . . I couldn't let things go. I held onto the hurt and anger so tightly and I lost you because of it. I know I hide myself away emotionally. I wouldn't tell you what I was going through, because I was determined to deal with it on my own. That wasn't fair to you. I hold. You give. It was bound to implode on us." She sighed sadly. "The thing is with this past year, I feel the same as you. I've never felt closer to you, Logan. It's like the slate was wiped clean. You-- you're everything that I want. All that stuff that's happened before, I want to let it go and I want to start over. I know we can do this, Logan. "

"Yeah," he finally smiled. "I think we can."

* * *

Forty-eight hours later, Dick and Mac's annulment was final and the group of friends met in the lobby of the hotel before heading home. Dick pulled Mac to the side away from Logan and Veronica.

"So was it worth it?" Dick asked her curiously.

Mac peeked over his shoulder and watched as Logan and Veronica cuddled in the corner oblivious to their surroundings. She rolled her eyes and looked back at Dick.

"Yep," she told him. "At least they won't be bitching about how much they miss each other."

Dick looked behind his shoulder and snorted. "No," he started and turned back to her. "Now we just gotta put up with their PDA's."

She laughed softly and shrugged. "If that's the price we gotta pay than so be it." She looked down at the ground and back up. "Thanks for taking care of the . . . thing so fast," she told him sincerely.

Dick shrugged nonplused. "It was no biggie."

Mac nodded again and bit her bottom lip. "You were a good husband for the forty-eight hours. I've got no complaints."

He snorted. "Ditto, Mac Attack. Sorry you didn't get to see your concert."

She shrugged and tilted her head to the side. "I think I can honestly say that this was a lot more fun," she smiled.

* * *

"I can't believe mom and dad got the annulment," Veronica pouted to Logan as she watched Dick and Mac.

"They said they couldn't stay together for the kids anymore, Veronica, you know how it goes."

She laughed slightly as she tightened her hold around his waist. "They deserve it for trying to set us up."

"They didn't try, they did it, and we were suckers for not knowing it."

"I'm glad they did. Apparently we were whining a little too much."

"I don't whine," he told her insulted.

She patted his chest. "Of course you don't," she told him sarcastically and laid her head against his chest, listening to the soft pounding of his heart. "I can't believe this is happening," she told him softly. "I never thought this day would come."

He kissed the crown of her head enjoying the moment. "I know what you mean."

Dick and Mac made their way over to them. "So we're in agreement, right?" Mac asked the assembled four.

They all nodded their heads silently.

"We'll never mention any of this to anyone. Ever," Veronica verbalized.

Again they all nodded.

"It really is true," Logan mused as they walked out to greet the Nevada sun. "What happens in Vegas really does stay in Vegas."


	4. Part 4: Domesticity

_Thanks for all the feedback everyone! Hope you enjoy the next part..._

**

* * *

**

**Part 4  
****Domesticity  
**_January 2009 - Junior Year_

"Morning," Veronica grinned and kissed Logan quickly on the cheek as she rolled over and made her way out of bed.

"Mmm, morning," Logan answered sleepily. He yawned and began to smile. "I was thinking," he began as he rolled over onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow to watch her.

"This early?" she teased him.

He smirked as she darted into the bathroom.

"I think you should move in."

It took her a moment or two, but Veronica slowly poked her head out of the bathroom doorway, toothbrush already in her mouth. She blinked a few times unsure if she had heard him correctly.

"Huh?"

"I think you should move in," he told her again as he swung his legs over the bed.

She watched him curiously, his proposition floating around her head all the while. He stood and stretched and ran a hand through his hair as if it were just any other day.

"Move in?" she finally voiced with a tilt of her head as she watched him move towards her.

"Yeah. It makes sense don't you think? You spend the night practically every night and you already have most of your stuff here." He kissed the tip of her nose and moved past her into the bathroom. He patted his bare belly and yawned. "Hungry?" he asked her as he raised the toilet seat.

She curiously watched him as she thought about his offer. When did they cross that stage in their relationship where it was normal to pee in front of the other? He was right though, she spent more time at Logan's than at home. She and Logan were doing good right now. Their fights were over who was going to cook and do the dishes or why Logan insisted on leaving the seat up.

He flushed the toilet and moved over to the shower as he slipped out of his boxers. When the hell did they become so domestic? She glanced from his form already in the shower to the still upright toilet seat. The hot steam was beginning to fog the mirror and she realized she still had the toothbrush in her mouth.

"So what do you think?" she heard him call over the running water a few minutes later.

What did she think? She loved Logan more than ever and since reuniting with him she couldn't imagine spending the rest of her life without him. She quickly brushed her teeth and made a pro and con list in her head. Pro - she was closer to Hearst. Con - she'd have to tell her dad. Pro - it's not like she had a lot to move in. Con --. Logan took that moment to step out of the shower, his golden skin glistening with water. Pro - she loved Logan and she wanted to be with him, end of story.

"Well?" he asked her with a grin as he ran a towel through his hair.

"You sure you want a roommate?"

His grin upturned into a knowing smirk. "Hell yeah," he told her as he wrapped the towel around his waist.

"Why?" she asked him curiously.

"I think I already pointed out all the facts." He stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her. "But most importantly, I love you and I don't want to waste another minute not being together. That was a hard year and a half, Veronica."

She nodded. "For me too."

"So let's do this. Move in here."

She smiled brightly and nodded, adrenaline and pure joy coursing through her body. No time for thinking or judging or weighing. Just pure bliss. "Ok," she grinned.

He smiled down at her and kissed her. "Yeah?"

"I have to warn you, I do snore," she told him with a laugh.

"Yeah, I already know," he teased back.

She slapped him on the arm. "I do not snore."

"Hey, you're the one that just admitted to it."

"I was kidding."

"There's a truth in every lie, Veronica."

She laughed softly as she ran her hand through his wet hair. "I love you."

"Ditto," he murmured into her hair, kissing the side of her neck.

"Now let's flip a coin to decide who tells my dad."

He groaned slightly. "I kinda forgot about that."

"Yeah, well, I just reminded you. You can tell him."

"What? Why?"

"You can tell him since it was your idea."

He frowned. "How about we both tell him?" he finally sighed.

"I think that'll work."

"You think he'll be pissed?"

She shrugged slightly, his wet form soaking through her tank top. "It doesn't matter. I'm an adult and I make my own decisions."

"You're sexy when you act all tough."

She laughed quietly. "Thanks. Just leave all the talking to me," she told him as she patted his chest.

"Where's the trust?" he laughed.

"Trust me. I know how to work Keith Mars. Just leave it all to me."

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Keith began, his gaze going between Veronica and Logan. "You're asking me for my . . . what again?"

"Blessing, dad," Veronica rolled her eyes at him for the fifth time.

"Right. But you're not getting married."

"God, no," she snorted.

Logan rolled his eyes at her. Leave it to Veronica to be so direct.

"We're just moving in together," she told him with a shrug of her shoulders.

"What Veronica means," he broke in, glaring at her again. "Is that we've thought about this carefully and we think it's the next logical step in our relationship."

"We're gonna shack up together," she added.

Logan quickly pulled Veronica to the side. "What is going on?" he asked her incredulous. "Since when am I the one that speaks sanely?"

"That's not a word."

"You just blurted out to your very pissed off dad that you're moving in with me like you had eggs for breakfast."

She shrugged slightly. "It's like pulling off a band-aid really quick."

"No, it's like hitting a hornet's nest with a bat and sticking around to see the chaos. Need I remind you that your dad's the sheriff and is carrying a gun? Maybe two."

"C'mon, Logan. It's not like I told him I was pregnant or something."

"Oh my God, shut up," he hissed as he looked over her shoulder to see Keith shooting daggers at them.

She giggled slightly as she watched him fidget. "I can't believe you're still scared of my dad."

"Your dad hates me," he reminded her. "And remember the whole gun thing?"

"He doesn't hate you," she laughed. "C'mon let's go finish this up and you can help me move everything over to your place."

"Our place," he clarified.

Her eyes softened and she kissed him quickly. "Our place," she corrected herself.

She took his hand and they walked back to Keith.

"So," Veronica sighed.

Keith looked between the two of them and sighed. "I just don't think it's such a hot idea," he told them honestly.

Veronica frowned and Logan opened his mouth to disagree, but Keith raised his hand to calm the storm.

"I'm not saying that to be a pain in the ass or being an overprotective father. Honestly. But you two just got back together a few months ago."

"It's been seven months," Veronica clarified.

"Exactly. Moving in together is not the 'next logical step'. It's too soon for that."

Logan sighed and Veronica could see the doubts starting to spin in his mind.

"Look, dad, the truth is that Logan and I should have gotten back together a long time ago. We already wasted a year and a half apart and we don't want to go down that road again. We both know what we're doing and this is what we want."

She turned to look at Logan and he squeezed her hand.

"Veronica's right, Mr. Mars. We love each other and this is what we're doing. We just wanted to fill you in first out of respect."

"I just don't --"

"Dad," Veronica interrupted him. "This is what's happening like it or not," she finished quietly.

Keith sighed deeply as he realized that they were determined to do what they were saying. He silently hoped that it worked out because he didn't want to see the fall out. "All right," he nodded. "You have my blessing."

* * *

Veronica looked around the living room and sighed softly. There were a few boxes scattered here and there, things that she and Logan had yet to unpack. She was still amazed at how much crap she actually accumulated over the years. She heard the latch click and turned towards the front door as Logan came in.

"Honey, I'm home," he grinned when he saw her.

She laughed softly as he came towards her. "You're a dork," she grinned.

He smirked in return. "That's not what you said earlier. I think your exact words were 'oh, god Logan,' followed by little moans and groans. How could I turn from a god to a dork?" he asked her in disbelief.

She snorted as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're special like that I guess."

"And by special, you mean godlike, right?"

"If that's what helps you get through the day, ok."

His smile widened and his eyes seemed to shift and darken and Veronica realized she was in trouble. He kissed her, made his way down her neck and bit at her collarbone. His hands danced across her body, fingers touching here and there already knowing from memory what she liked. Her own hands were in his hair, tugging him towards her, her body shimming next to him trying to get as close to him as possible with the layers of clothing in their way. Her head tilted back and a low moan made him chuckle against her skin, sending shivers up and down her body.

"Mmm, Logan."

His head popped back up and he couldn't help the grin on his face. "So what's for dinner?" he asked as he left her boneless in the middle of the living room and headed towards the kitchen.

She stared at his retreating back for a moment, her brain slowly coming back to its senses. "You're a tease," she mumbled loudly.

His laugh floated to her from the kitchen. "Thought I was a dork?"

"A dorky tease?" she questioned as she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

"You never want to get laid again do you?" he grinned.

She kissed the spot between his shoulder blades through his t-shirt. He swung her around and pinned her against the countertop. She grinned up at him and pulled his cell from his jeans pocket. "Let's order Chinese and you can show me how much of a sex god you really are."

"Don't objectify me," he smirked.

She laughed and smacked his shoulder playfully. He took the phone from her hand and quickly ordered their takeout before tossing the phone on the counter next to her. He kissed her softly and lifted her up on the countertop.

"Yum," she sighed against his mouth. "You know I'm lucky to have you, right?" she asked him as his mouth dipped to her neck again.

His hands framed her face and he pulled back to look at her. He grinned at her, pushing a few stray hairs away from her face. "Yeah?" he asked her curiously.

"Yeah," she sighed happily.

"Goes both ways, babe." He kissed her on the forehead and smiled. "Welcome home, Veronica."

* * *

_A/N: The 'don't objectify me' line is all Dean Winchester from Supernatural. Because, yeah: Dean is yum and Dean + Logan is double yum._


	5. Part 5: Ms Mars Goes to Washington

**Part 5  
****Ms. Mars Goes to Washington  
**_April 2010 - Senior Year_

Logan was happy. He was 22 and about to graduate with a freakin' BA in business management. Who would have known?

He made his way across campus and briefly thought about what he was going to do once he actually graduated. He didn't have any desire to find a job and after busting his ass the last few years - bumming around and doing nothing had an appeal all to its own.

He quickly thought back on the past year. He and Veronica were in such a good place right now that it scared him sometimes. They were in so deep, they were so connected, that it was hard to believe they were ever apart. Granted, they stepped out of their blissful non-stop happiness phase a few months after Veronica moved in. That's when their arguments started to delve into the topic of money. Veronica insisted on paying a portion of the rent, but Logan refused. After weeks of bickering, they finally settled on Veronica paying part of the utilities and calling it even. It was probably the most mature argument he'd been a part of. And then there were the occasional tiffs about some of the PI cases she took on the side. Ever since Keith was elected sheriff their sophomore year, the cases were few and far in between. But every now and then a huge case would come up that Veronica refused to give up. He snorted to himself, when it came to Veronica and her cases, he knew any disagreements were pointless. But again, they handled the arguments pretty calmly. Maturely.

Regardless, he couldn't help but be excited about the next few weeks. He was hoping that as soon as they graduated, they could take some down time and go to Europe or something. At least out of Neptune for a few days. Veronica was tossing around the idea of grad school, but she hadn't made up her mind yet. As far as they were concerned they had all the time in the world.

* * *

Logan glanced down at his watch and sighed. He was supposed to meet up with Dick at one and hit the surf, but Dick as usual, was running late. He figured that would never change, but Logan had to admit that he was doing better ever since he started to hang out with Mac more.

His ringing cell phone brought him out of his thoughts.

"Hey, Veronica," he grinned into the phone.

"Hey," she sighed. "What're you doing?"

"Nothing much, just waiting for Dick's late ass to show up."

There was a brief stint of silence before Veronica answered him. "Can we meet up instead?"

He snickered quietly. "Sorry, bobcat, don't have time for some afternoon delight today. I already promised Dick we'd hit the ocean since it's been a while."

"Logan."

And he heard it then. The sense of urgency or fear or--

"It's kinda important," she told him softly.

"Are you ok?" he asked her quickly.

"Yeah. I just . . . we need to talk. In person."

And just like that, Logan started to feel cold and he cursed his earlier thoughts of things going so well. It always hit him sideways like this.

"Veronica?" he finally questioned.

"I promise I'll explain everything, but we need to meet up."

"I'm in front of Deroy Hall," he sighed.

"I'll be there in five minutes." She paused for the tiniest of seconds. "I love you, Logan."

"I love you too," he murmured.

He ended the call and quickly dialed Dick and left him a voicemail when he didn't pick up. "Dick, listen man, I can't make it today after all. Sorry, dude, I owe you one." His voice was distant, his heartbeat drumming in his ears. What could be so urgent? He started pacing back and forth in front of the lecture hall. He didn't notice Veronica coming up to him until he felt her warm hand on his elbow.

"Hey," he sighed and kissed her quickly.

"Hey," she sighed in return. Her smile was tight on her face and he started to frown at her expression.

"Veronica, what's wrong?"

She looked up at Logan and tried to figure out how to tell him her news. "Logan . . . there's something we need to talk about."

Logan's eyes flashed briefly. "Veronica . . ."

"C'mon," she interrupted and led them to a secluded spot on campus where they often went.

"Just tell me," Logan sighed preparing himself for the worst as they sat on a stone bench off the paths.

She bit her bottom lip and sighed, taking his hand in hers. "My Criminology professor, he submitted my name for this junior FBI Academy thing. Only fifty people in the country get in and I was accepted."

Logan sighed in relief and briefly wondered why she thought this would be bad news. "That's great news, Veronica," he told her, honestly excited for her.

She smiled sadly. "Yeah," her voice cracked. "The thing is . . . I have to move to DC . . . for at least two years. Maybe more."

Logan's frown reappeared. "Oh."

"I'm not even sure I want to go," Veronica began quickly. "I had no idea Professor Carter even submitted me for the program. He kinda just laid this on me and I didn't know what to tell him."

"Ok," he nodded. He sucked in a breath and ran his free hand through his hair. "Ok . . . so you're going to DC. When?"

Her gaze swept across his face. For the first time in a long time, she couldn't read Logan. She couldn't tell if he was worried or mad or anything. But then she wondered if her own feelings were clouding Logan's. For the life of her she didn't know how to feel about this opportunity. She realized then that she hadn't answered him. "_If_ I go," she started, emphasizing greatly on the 'if', "it'll be after graduation."

He nodded slightly, eyes everywhere but on her. "Two years," he sighed.

"Yeah," she frowned. "Logan, I know this is huge. That's why I wanted to talk to you about this before I--_we _made any decisions."

He let go of her hand and rubbed his palms on his lap. It felt like they were drowning in sweat. He knew what he had to do. He knew that he needed to go beyond his own feelings and think about what Veronica wanted. "You need to go, Veronica," he told her his voice strained. "When's an opportunity like this going to come up again?"

Her frown deepened and her heart started to beat impossibly fast. For the past two years Logan has been her life and now just like that, everything was tossed around. She couldn't help but slightly worry about what this would mean for their relationship. "Where does that leave us, Logan? Two years . . . that's a long time. We're talking opposite ends of the country here."

He nodded slightly. "I know . . . but you need to do this. You'll hate yourself if you don't. I'll hate myself if I'm the reason you don't go." He sucked in a deep breath as his earlier thoughts came back to him. He reminded himself that he and Veronica were in a good place. They had been through so much that something like this couldn't-- _wouldn't_ be the end of them. He refused to believe that. "It won't be that bad. And there's email, phones, and I can make it out there as much as I can."

Veronica watched him carefully. He was saying everything that she wanted to hear, she couldn't deny it. But she wanted to be selfish. She wanted more than phone calls and impersonal emails. She wanted to be with him. Always. And for the life of her, she couldn't quell that tiny little voice in her heart. "What if you come with me?" she asked him softly.

His face contorted in disbelief. "What?"

"You can come to DC with me."

He shook his head and stood leaving her side. "No."

She frowned. "Why not?"

"What the hell would I do on the east coast, Veronica?"

"You can--"

"I can sit around and wait for you to come home?" he interrupted.

"I wasn't going to say that," she told him defiantly, crossing over to stand in front of him. "You're the one that always talks about leaving Neptune."

"Neptune. Not California. I'm talking San Diego or San Francisco." He shook his head at her. "I love you, Veronica, I do. But I can't just up and move because you want me to," he told her quietly.

"I'm just bringing it up as a possibility in the future."

He sighed shaking his head. "I--I don't know, Veronica. I'd have to think about it."

Which she secretly knew meant 'not a chance in hell'.

Logan let out a long breath. "I want you to go. I want you to be successful and have fun." He finally smiled at her, running his hands down her arms. "Listen, we'll be ok. As much shit as we've been through these past few years, this isn't going to be the end of us. I'm not going anywhere, Veronica."

Her eyes misted over at his words and she smiled at him in return. Her throat was tight with unshed tears. This was going to be so fucking hard.

"When would you leave?" he asked her quietly.

"May 14th," she barely whispered.

"Ok," he sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "So let's just spend the next two weeks together and give you a proper farewell."

"I haven't even decided if I'm going," she tried to argue.

He pulled back and smiled at her sadly. "Veronica, you decided the minute you heard the news."

And sadly she realized she couldn't argue with him.

_

* * *

_

Five weeks later - June 2010

Logan sighed as he surveyed the beach as Dick finished packing up his gear in the truck. Another day of surfing and another day without Veronica.

Logan missed her. He'd be the first person to admit that. He was bored and kinda lonely even though he had people around him all the time. He missed doing things with her, hanging out with her. He just . . . missed her.

So when he started to feel way too emo about the whole thing, he decided he needed to find something to keep him busy. Something that would take his mind off of Veronica. He wasn't going to become one of those emo dudes with long hair hanging over his eyes and sit around and write songs about how depressed he was. That wasn't him . . . well, not anymore.

For fuck's sake, he told himself, it's not like he'd never see her again. The time apart was a good thing. It showed him that he was too attached to Veronica. They needed to do their own separate things. She was doing the whole FBI thing, now it was his turn to figure out what he wanted to do. As appealing as surfing all day everyday was, he knew he couldn't do that for the rest of his life. He needed to do something productive. Something that he could be proud of. Something that he could look back on and tell himself that he accomplished what he wanted.

Veronica's consistent offer to move out to the east coast reverberated in his mind. He knew he couldn't do it. He'd been to New York a hand full of times and he liked it just fine. But he had no urge to move out that way. The east coast, for him, had no appeal. It was cold and just -- dark and gloomy. He shook his head at his own thoughts. He needed to stop thinking about it. Get something else on his mind aside from Veronica Mars.

He turned to Dick with a smile on his face. "Hey, you remember that idea I had a few years ago?"

"What the bum fight thing?"

"No, you ass. The surf shop thing."

One day, Logan forgot to pack his wax for his board and there wasn't a store nearby. Logan had mentioned to Dick that it'd be a good idea to open up a shop themselves on the beach. It never went any further than that.

"Yeah," Dick snorted in amusement.

"I think we should do it," Logan finished.

Dick snorted again. "Are you nuts?"

"No, why can't we?" Logan argued back. "All we need to do is get a permit and make up a business plan. I got a BA, it's not that hard. Plus its not like either one of us is hurting for cash."

"Logan, seriously."

"Come on, Dick," Logan egged him on. "Don't you want to do something besides surf all day?"

"Not really," he shrugged.

He rolled his eyes at him. "Seriously? Look, Veronica's doing her FBI thing. Mac's helping Charlie out at his school and--"

"Whoa, whoa," Dick stopped him. "Mac's doing what with who?" he asked him quickly.

"Charlie. They got this new computer lab at Charlie's school and Mac's setting up the computers and shit."

Dick started to frown. "Since when have Mac and Charlie been so close?"

Logan looked at Dick as if he had grown two heads. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked him curiously.

"Aside from the fact he won't get a haircut?" Mac grinned as she strolled up to them.

"Where's Charlie?" Dick asked her mockingly.

Mac looked up at Dick as if he had asked her why the sky was blue. "I'm going to take a guess and say he's at work," she answered him slowly.

She looked at Logan and he simply shrugged in return. He had no idea what Dick's issue was now.

Dick's taller frame straightened out and he stepped closer to Mac. "Since when do you hang out with Charlie?"

She frowned up at him, trying to follow his line of thinking. "We meet up sometimes, just like I do with you or Logan and Veronica. He offered me a job and I took it." Her eyebrows crinkled in confusion. "Why are you being so weird?"

Dick snorted. "Weird? I'm not being weird. You're being weird . . . weirdo."

"You're both being weird," Logan cut in. "What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing," they both answered immediately.

Logan narrowed his eyes and filed away the information to talk about it with Veronica. Maybe she knew what was going on between the two of them.

Mac cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. "So what were you two talking about?" Mac asked Logan, changing the subject.

"Logan wants to open a surf shop," Dick answered her.

"Really?" she asked excitedly. "Logan, that's a great idea. What's Veronica think?"

"Haven't told her yet," he shrugged. "It's just an idea. If it goes anywhere, I'll tell her."

"Oh, I could totally develop a website for you after you get it all started."

"Thanks, Small Fry. I'll let you know if it goes anywhere."

"Sure thing," she smiled. "So are you guys done surfing for the day?"

Dick finally grinned at her. "I'm never done, but Logan starting whining like a little girl that he was hungry."

"I don't whine," Logan clarified.

Mac chuckled lightly and Dick's face lit up. "You wanna grab lunch with us, Small Fry?"

"Lunch with my two favorite guys? Hell yeah."

Logan wrapped his arm around her before they hopped in the truck. "Good. You can tell me what my brother's been up to since I haven't seen him lately."

Dick snorted and Logan watched him curiously, his mood had darkened yet again. If he didn't know better, he'd think Dick was jealous. His eyes widened at that. Oh hell no. Mac was speaking to him, but the only thing he was focused on was Dick's quick glare at the arm he had around Mac. How in the hell did this happen?

"Hey, you listening to me?" Mac asked him.

"Sorry, Mac," he sighed, looking down at her. "What'd you say?"

"I said you should talk to Charlie about your shop idea, he'd probably give you a couple good ideas."

"'Cause he's so fucking awesome, right?" he heard Dick mumble to himself.

It went unnoticed by Mac and he smiled at her. "Yeah, sure will . . . let's get going, I'm starving."


	6. Part 6: Return to Neptune

_Thanks again for all the wonderful feedback guys. Keep it coming, it's muchly appreciated :)_

* * *

**Part 6  
****Return to Neptune  
**_Four months later - October 2010_

She couldn't do it. When they started talking about weapons and which situations were 'shoot to kill', she realized she couldn't do it. She couldn't knowingly pick up a gun and end someone's life no matter the circumstances. Memories of her holding a gun on Cassidy Casablancas after finding out he raped her and believing he had killed her father came back to her and even then - she still couldn't shoot. And hearing Logan's voice echo in her head 'you're not a killer, Veronica' - wasn't helping her cause either.

Logan.

She sighed as she started to recall the past few months away. A month after being away, Veronica had started to worry that Logan would call things off due to the strain and the distance. It was as if he knew what she was thinking because not that long after, he had told Veronica that he was thinking about moving to DC for a few months out of the year. She had missed him like crazy when she was gone and not being able to see him or touch him was like torture. And as much as the uber-feminist in her hated to admit it, Logan was another huge reason she left DC. He was just too far away.

It wasn't like her to give up such a huge opportunity that was given to her, but after weighing her pros and cons, she knew that she needed to return to Neptune. So here she was - five months away and it was like she never left.

Veronica's current problem was that she wasn't completely sure where to find Logan. He had no idea that she was back in town and she was out of ideas of where he could be. He wasn't at their apartment and after scouring the beach for the past twenty minutes, there was still no sign of him among the other surfers. She was about to try him on his cell, but she came across a new surf shop near the beach. She walked in to find a spacious shop, but no Logan.

"Yeah, we just got those."

Veronica turned her head at the familiar voice and locked eyes with Logan. His face lit up and he grinned at her.

"Let me call you back."

He quickly ended the call and rushed up to greet her. Her own smile widened and he lifted her up in his arms.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me you were flying in?" he asked her. He ran his hands down her face and kissed her before she could respond.

"And miss out on this surprise welcome home?" she laughed. "I don't think so."

"What're you doing here?" he asked her softly. He had just spoken to her two days ago and she never mentioned a trip to Neptune.

"I missed you," she told him softly as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I missed you too," he told her as he kissed the crown of her head. "How long are you in town?"

She pulled back and clasped his hand. "Can we go talk somewhere?" she asked him quietly.

He started to frown. "Veronica . . ."

"It's not bad news, I promise."

He sighed and looked around the shop. "I can't leave right now."

Her head tilted to the side. "Why?"

"There's no one else here to watch the store."

She looked around and her eyebrows knit in curiosity. "You work here?"

"Kinda."

The bell at the entrance jingled and Veronica turned to see a familiar face. "Weevil?"

He started to grin. "Vee," he nodded. "I didn't know you were back in town."

"Just got in . . . kinda weird seeing you in a surf shop."

Logan glared at him and Weevil took the hint. "Whitey here owes me some cash."

She narrowed her eyes. "Liar. Why are you here?"

Two small children came running in from the back of the shop before he could answer her. "Uncle Eli!" the young girl exclaimed. "You shoulda seen us! Mr. Logan said if we practiced enough we'd be able to stand on our own for a long time and we did! Mr. Logan, can we come back again tomorrow?"

Veronica's eyes widened as she took in the scene. Her eyes darted from the kids, to Logan, to Weevil and back again. "Oh my God," she breathed.

"Veronica, don't--"

"You're teaching these kids to surf!"

"It's not what it looks like," Logan tried to clarify.

She turned to Weevil. "How much is he charging you?"

Weevil looked down avoiding eye contact. "Um, you know . . ."

The door jingled again and Veronica turned to see Dick come through the front door.

"Veronica! The queen bee has finally come home."

"Dick," she laughed. "You work here too?"

"Just call me Mr. Manager."

She turned to face Logan. "You work for Dick?"

Dick snorted in amusement. "Dude, I work for Logan." He frowned at his own words. "Kinda."

She was more confused than ever and Weevil couldn't help but grin. "Vee, Logan owns the store."

"Huh? When did you buy a store?"

"He didn't buy it. He built it. From scratch," Dick clarified.

She looked to Logan who simply shrugged. "Welcome to _Surf Bums Incorporated_."

"This is what you've been up to the last five months? Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Surprise?"

Veronica shook her head trying to take everything in. "So you opened a surf shop and give surfing lessons on top of that?" He simply shrugged and she turned back to Weevil. "You never told me how much he charges you."

Weevil couldn't help but snort. Her eyes widened a bit and she turned back to Logan. "You're doing it for free!" she exclaimed surprised.

Logan frowned. "It's not free," he defended himself adamantly. "I use a sliding scale," he finished quietly.

Veronica's eyes lit up again. "Oh my, God, Logan."

His ears began to tint red with embarrassment. "Don't say a word," he huffed. "It's a one time thing."

Weevil snorted again and earned another glare from Logan.

"Oh, yeah, one time thing," Weevil finally answered with a laugh.

Veronica laughed. "This is your big bad secret? You're teaching kids to surf for free?"

"Get out of my store," Logan told her pointing toward the exit. "I can refuse service to anyone I see fit."

Dick sighed unamused. "I told him he should charge up the ass, but he wouldn't listen."

"Don't be a dick," Weevil grinned. "Oh wait -- too late."

"Listen muchacho--"

"Hey, shut up," Logan told him. "Not in front of the k-i-d-s."

Veronica grinned at him.

"Don't start," he told her off her look.

She wiped away a fake tear. "I'm so proud," she told him choked up.

"Shut up," he laughed.

The little boy pulled at Logan's trunks. "Mr. Logan, can you show us that cool board again? The black one with the giant wave on it?"

Veronica bit her lip to keep from laughing again and Weevil snickered quietly. "Um, kids, we gotta get going," he finally told them. "Grandma's waiting at home with lunch."

"Aww, Uncle Eli--"

"Get going. You know she doesn't like it when we're late."

The young boy scuffed his sandal on the wooden floor. "But I wanna stay here with Mr. Logan."

Logan rolled his eyes when Veronica giggled softly. He crouched down to be eye level with the little boy. "Don't worry, Eddie. Next time your Uncle Eli brings you by, you can help me wax that board you like so much."

"Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Me too?" the young girl asked.

"Yeah, you too, Marie."

Both kids jumped Logan with a hug.

"Aww, Kodak moment!" Veronica exclaimed happily.

The kids ran for the door and Weevil and Logan quickly shook hands. "Thanks again, Echolls."

"Whatever," he shrugged.

"Later, Vee," Weevil grinned.

"Later." She turned back to Logan.

"Not a word, Veronica."

She bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing again. He just looked so cute being caught off guard at that moment.

"Come on," he sighed. "Let's go talk. Dick's here, he can watch the store."

"Right, because he's the manager."

"That's Mr. Manager to you," Dick corrected her.

She laughed again. "My bad, Mr. Manager."

* * *

"So what's going on?" Logan asked her as they strolled down the beach hand in hand. "You in town for a day or what?"

She sighed and let go of his hand. "How about for good?"

He started to frown. "What happened with the program?"

"I quit," she told him simply.

"Veronica, you don't 'quit' anything."

"There's a first for everything," she told him quietly.

"What happened?"

She sunk her toes in the sand and looked up at him. "I couldn't do it, Logan. When they started talking about 'shoot to kill' -- I realized I couldn't do it. It's not in me and I think you know that."

He couldn't help but think about what had happened with Beaver four years ago. "Veronica, there's nothing you can't do."

"Except that," she added softly.

He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked her, his mouth against her forehead.

She nodded quickly. "I'm sure," she sighed. "I'm positively one hundred percent sure."

They stood there for a moment and Veronica finally pulled back to look at him, her eyes twinkling. "You've been a busy little bee while I was gone," she told him.

He shrugged. "I had to keep myself busy and I thought what the hell. I was waiting to surprise you when I saw you next month."

"How in the world did you manage to get a surf shop built and running in five months?" she asked him curiously.

Logan snorted happily. "Let's just say it's good to know people in high places. Plus, it's not like I had a lack of funding."

"I can't believe you kept this a secret," she told him surprised. "I'm surprised Mac didn't spill."

"I swore her to secrecy. And I let her 'document' everything from beginning to end so that she could fill you in."

She shook her head in amusement. "Business good?"

"Yeah," he grinned. "That's one of the reasons I didn't tell you at first. I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to go under first. I'm actually thinking about starting a chain down the line."

"With the free surf lessons?"

He frowned. "It's a sliding scale remember?"

"Sliding scale my ass. How many people have you charged?"

"Like five," he replied immediately.

"And how many have been free?"

He shifted slightly and mumbled a reply.

"Come again?"

"Like ten," he told her with a deep sigh.

"You're so cute," she laughed.

"That doesn't bode well for my 'bad boyfriend' rep."

"Don't worry, I won't tell."

He leaned into her and kissed her. "I missed you," he told her softly. "I didn't think I'd see you for like three more weeks."

"I missed you too," she sighed sadly. "So do I still have a home or did you manage to find a new roomie?"

"My only roomie is you. Always."

"Good," she laughed. "How about you take me home and give me a proper 'welcome home'."

He grinned at her. "Let's go, bobcat."

* * *

_A/N: The "Mr. Manager" line is from my other fav show Arrested Development. Oh, Dick, I love you, but you'll never be able to replace George Michael ;)_

_  
__A/N2: Yeah, I couldn't keep Logan and Veronica apart for two years. That's just mean, lol._


	7. Part 7: We Did This

_Sorry for the delay in posting guys. I've gotten a case of writer's block, but hopefully it'll pass soon. Again thanks, as always, for all of the feedback!_

* * *

**Part 7  
****We Did This . . .  
**_January 2012_

Veronica bit her bottom lip as she surveyed the various boxes in front of her. Did it really matter which one she bought? Weren't they all the same? She reached out to pick one up, but took another cursory glance down the isle. The last thing she needed was someone from the neighborhood to catch her red-handed so to speak. That would put the cherry on the top of her oh so freaking awesome day. Her focus went back to the boxes in front of her.

_Whatever_, she thought to herself and dropped three different brands into her basket.

She started down the aisle and spotted Tom Cavanaugh, a neighbor in her complex, coming her way.

"Fuck," she cursed under her breath.

She grabbed the nearest available item to cover up the boxes. Of course it would be a package of super-maxi pads. Her face started to tint red.

"Veronica, hi," Tom greeted her.

A shaky smile graced her face and she discreetly flipped the basket behind her back. "Hi, Tom," she sighed.

"How's everything going?"

Tom was one of the first people she met when she and Logan moved into their new condo six months ago. He was always trying to make nice with her and a huge part of her was convinced he was doing it because she was living with Logan. If Logan were here, he would tease her for being so distrusting of strangers. But it was true. For some reason the allure of the Echolls family still piqued the curiosity of the public. Aside from Logan's company and the recent charity he started, he was pretty much no news, however. Veronica suspected that Tom was looking for a glimmer of gossipy goodness.

"Funny running into you here," he was saying.

"Yeah," she fake laughed. "Thought I'd catch up on some shopping before work."

"I know how that goes . . . well, I'll see ya around," he told her with another grin before leaving.

She sighed to herself. Maybe he really was just trying to be nice.

She dispelled her thoughts and quickly made her way to the checkout line. She should have followed her first instinct and bought her items far away from home, but she couldn't wait a day longer. And Logan wasn't home. And she had called in sick from work. Plus, there was only so much Bitchy!Veronica Logan was going to take. And this way she'd finally have an answer.

* * *

She paced the bathroom quickly, her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't pregnant. Sure she was late with her period, but that didn't mean anything. It happened sometimes. And there was that crazy flu bug going around at work. That would explain the constant urge to puke. And work was really stressful right now. That would explain the bitchy attitude with Logan.

She wasn't pregnant.

She glanced at her watch and sighed. She picked up the first white stick. Pink. She glanced at the box. Pink was positive. She went to the next one, convinced the first was a mistake. There were two small dashes. According to the box - pregnant. The third stick showed a plus sign. She didn't have to look at the box this time. She was pregnant.

"Oh, shit," she groaned. "This is not good." She stared at all three tests and shook her head. "How the fuck did I get pregnant?" she asked herself out loud. "I mean, I know how . . . but, God, how the fuck did I get pregnant?"

She shook her head as she realized she was talking to herself. At least it explained the horrible nausea whenever she smelled cheese and the current bitch streak she was on and why she cried at that stupid Disney commercial two nights ago. She quickly dug the heels of her palms into her eyes for a moment. Pregnant. She stared at the pregnancy sticks and felt the familiar twinge in her stomach. She quickly lifted the seat of the toilet and tossed her cookies for the second time that day.

"Why the hell do they call it morning sickness if it happens any time of the day?"

God. How the hell was she going to break it to Logan?

* * *

Logan sighed when he pulled into the garage and parked next to Veronica's Saturn Vue. He was half-heartedly hoping she wouldn't be home. She had already cussed him out that morning for leaving the toilet seat up again and he really wasn't in the mood for round two. His plan was to go in, grab some dinner, and veg in his office pretending to work while he played video games online.

He opened the door to their condo and tentatively smiled when he saw Veronica sitting on the living room couch. "Hey, sweetie," he started. "Get out of work early?" She turned to face him, her face strained. Logan started to frown as he made his way toward her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Her mouth opened and she quickly shook her head rethinking her thoughts.

"Veronica?"

"We need to talk," she finally sighed.

And internally Logan groaned. If he had to hear one more lecture about his "disgusting" bad habits, he was going to stab himself in the ear.

"Ok," he started slowly. "But if this is about this morning--"

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out.

Logan's entire body froze and the color drained from his face. Veronica watched him carefully as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. Ok, yeah, that wasn't the way she wanted to tell him.

"Logan?" she called out to him.

He laughed nervously and slowly sat down. "Sorry. What'd you say?" He was sure he heard her wrong.

"I'm pregnant." Her voice was stronger this time and she congratulated herself on her effort.

"Huh?" was Logan's meek reply.

She rolled her eyes at him and stood from the couch. "I'm pregnant. Knocked up. With child. Bun in the oven. The stork's coming. Preggo."

"Huh?"

It's like the words weren't connecting in his head. All he could hear was 'wah wah wah wah' like the teacher from Charlie Brown. Maybe he was having a stroke.

"Logan."

That part he understood. He nodded his head for her to continue.

"I'm pregnant."

Nothing. It was like he had gone deaf.

"Logan, we did this." She made an 'o' with her thumb and index finger and repeatedly stuck her other index finger into the hole quickly. "Which led to this," she grabbed a throw pillow and stuffed it inside her shirt as best she could. "And then it's gonna do this." She put the pillow between her legs and threw it at his head. "Pregnant, Logan! With a baby. You know those things that eat and sleep and poop all day and grow up to become annoying teenagers?" She started to hyperventilate. "Oh God how are we gonna take care of a baby?"

He simply stared at her motionless.

"Logan, are you listening to me?" He continued to stare off in silence. "Logan, snap out of it. I'm freaking out enough for the both of us."

He still didn't move and she started to become concerned. She moved to stand in front of him and cradled his face in her hands. "Logan? Logan, it'll be ok," she told him, unsure if it was for his benefit or her own. "We'll be ok. We can do this, right?"

Logan finally responded with a quick nod of his head. The only thought in Logan's head was fear. A kid, he was going to have a kid. How the hell was he gonna be capable of taking care of a kid? He briefly wondered if it would look like him or Veronica, or a combination of the two. Some small part of him congratulated himself. Was that a typical male response another part thought. He was man enough to make a baby after all. After a longer moment, he finally realized that Veronica was trying to coax him back to her.

"What?"

"I said, are you ok now?"

"Yeah," his voice cracked and it gave away the lie. "I mean, I will be." He quickly stood and had Veronica sit down. "How about you, are you ok? Do you need water or something?" He ran a hand down his face and was surprised to notice the moisture of sweat clinging there. Was he that freaked out?

Veronica yanked his hand down and he didn't protest when he finally sat down next to her.

Thoughts of his own father starting to flood through his mind and the panic once again set in. What if it was hereditary? What if he turned out to be a shit of a dad just like Aaron? Jesus, what if he got pissed off one night and just slapped the kid like Aaron used to do to him? His mouth felt dry and he ran a shaking hand through his hair.

"What is it?" Veronica asked him worriedly.

"Nothing," he lied and tried to smile.

"Logan--"

He sucked in a breath. "I was just thinking . . . about Aaron."

It dawned on her where he was going with his line of thinking. "You're nothing like him, Logan."

He nodded slightly. "Yeah."

"Look at me."

It took him a moment, but he finally turned his head in her direction. After all these years she knew when to push and when not to. When he got in contemplative moments like this, she knew that Logan would eventually share what he was feeling without any prodding.

"He used to get so mad," he finally began quietly. "Over the most stupidest shit I would do. I'd stand there and wait because I knew that after the yelling or the threats, he'd tell me to go to his closet and get one of his belts." He swallowed thickly and Veronica bit the inside of her cheek as she listened. "And then I'd wait till he had his drink, facing the wall, and wait for that first crack of the belt against my back."

He shuddered remembering the abuse he had to go through. Veronica placed a calming hand on his shoulder and he slightly flinched. She quickly pulled away with an apology.

"It's not you," he told her quietly.

"I know," she whispered back.

It was the first time he had talked about the abuse with her. She had known for years, since they were in high school, and although she had mentioned it a time or two, she never pushed him to talk about it and he was grateful for that.

"You're not Aaron, Logan. You're nothing like him. I know you wouldn't hurt me or this baby for that matter. That's not you."

"Yeah," he merely answered. He got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink?" he called out to her.

"Water, please."

He quickly pulled out two bottles of water from the fridge and lingered in the kitchen for a moment before coming back out.

"I won't lie, Logan. My mom was one of the first things that popped into my mind. But it was like promising myself I'd be nothing like her. We had some crappy parentage between us--"

"Aside from your dad and maybe my mom."

"Right, we just have to be nothing like Aaron or Lianne and I think we'll be ok."

He smiled at her and ran a hand down her hair. The initial shock starting to leave him, he finally focused a hundred percent on Veronica. "So you got a kid in there, huh?" he asked her with a smirk and placed his hand over her flat belly. "That's kinda cool."

"Kinda creepy too," she laughed.

"So this is why you've been such a bitch lately?"

"Hey, it's the hormones!"

He laughed softly as she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Veronica?"

"Hmmm?"

"Marry me."

She started to choke on her own intake of breath. "What?"

"Let's get married."

"Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean we have to get married."

"I know that. But honestly, Veronica, that's where I always saw us going. I'm in this for the long haul. You're it for me. This baby just kinda solidifies it in a way. Let's get married."

She was still rendered speechless. "Logan--"

"What?" he asked calmly.

"Logan, I love you. I do. But I don't want to get married. Not right now. Maybe sometime in the future. The far future."

He started to frown.

"It's not you, Logan. It's just . . . we haven't had the best track record of marriage in our families. Plus, why screw up a good thing? I'm happy the way things are right now."

"Veronica--"

"Just-- let's talk about this later. Like after the baby comes."

He nodded thoughtfully and they both thought about Veronica's last words.

"We're gonna have a baby," he finally said aloud.

Veronica snorted. "Weird, huh?"

They both laughed softly.

"So we're doing this?"

"Yeah," he grinned. "We're doing this."

He leaned over and kissed her softly. "Your dad's gonna kill me," he laughed.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Stop over-exaggerating. He'll be fine. He'd only kill you if you like abandoned me in my hour of need."

"And we both know that's not gonna happen."

"Exactly."

"A baby," Logan repeated softly. And the impact of that simple four letter word hit them both hard. Inside they both trembled with panic, trying desperately to keep it from the other.

* * *

_Two weeks later_

Keith smiled when he saw Veronica and Logan on his doorstep. "Honey, I didn't know you were coming over today."

"Are you busy? We could come back later," she quickly offered, trying to turn around, but Logan had a firm grasp on her waist.

"Don't be silly. It's never a bad time for you." He enveloped her in a hug and kissed the crown of her head.

"Logan," Keith smiled as they warmly shook hands.

"Hey, Keith."

Although it took quite some time, Keith and Logan were in a good spot. Keith had accepted a long time ago that Logan was 'it' for Veronica and honestly at first he struggled with that thought, but he was now at peace with it. He knew Logan loved her and he knew he wouldn't hurt her and would protect her at all costs. And honestly, what more could a father ask?

"So what brings you out this way?" he asked as they sat down in the living room.

"Dad," Veronica smiled. "We have news."

He looked between the two and grinned. "You're getting married."

Logan snorted at the irony and Veronica blanched at her father's assumption. "What? No, dad, its--" she turned to look at Logan and then back to her dad. "We're going to have a baby."

Keith's mouth fell open in shock. "You're pregnant?" he finally vocalized, running a hand across the top of his head.

She nodded a little, a small smile on her face. "We just saw the doctor today and got the confirmation."

"Wow," Keith finally managed. "How far . . . how far along are you?"

She looked at Logan and he squeezed her hand. "Seven weeks. Due date is September 5th."

Keith nodded his head distracted. He felt . . . old. It was ridiculous, he reasoned. But he just felt too young to be a grandfather. Too young for his little girl to be pregnant.

"It's kinda confusing, but they told me they go by that forty week schedule or something," she continued to ramble, her eyes focused on her dad. "Because, it's, you know, January and how can I be seven weeks along and--"

Logan squeezed her thigh slightly, trying to calm her and she took in a breath. This was so much harder than she thought. Not that she thought her dad would disown her or anything. She just didn't want to disappoint him. She didn't want to disappoint herself or Logan for that matter. And now that this kid was in the picture, her life had been thrown for a loop, turned upside down and every which way except for the right way. She felt like she was trapped in a snow globe as the rest of the world flittered past her like little plastic snowflakes.

She shook her head at her own thoughts. "Dad, you ok?" she finally asked him quietly.

He finally smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'm just surprised that's all."

"Believe me, I know," Logan mumbled softly.

Keith chuckled softly and finally got to his feet. "Congratulations," he sighed as he hugged Veronica. This was it. There was no more denying it anymore. His little girl really was grown up. That's what he was really struggling with. He just didn't think it would hurt this much when he finally came to terms with it.

"You'll always be my little girl," he told her as he rested his chin on the top of her head. "Don't forget that." Her eyes misted over as she nodded. He finally let her go and briefly hugged Logan, clapping him on the back. "Congratulations," he told him with a smile. "For your sake, I hope it's not a girl."

Logan smiled shakily as he wrapped his arm around Veronica again. "Thanks."

"So," Keith began as they sat back down. "When are you two getting married?"

Logan barked out a laugh as Veronica blanched at his question. "She said 'no'," Logan told him amused.

Keith's eyes widened slightly. "Really?" he asked Veronica.

"I just don't see the point," she sighed. "And it's not like we've had the best track record of marriage successes in our families. No offense dad. Why mess up a good thing for a piece of paper that tells me what I already know?"

Logan shrugged as Keith looked at him. "My offer's not going anywhere, she knows that. When she's ready--" Veronica elbowed him in the ribs. "_If_ she's ever ready, all she has to do is say the word."

"Sounds good to me," Veronica sighed, ready to drop the topic.

"So," Logan began, trying to uplift the mood. "What do you want the kid to call you?" he asked Keith. "Gramps? Grampy? Pops? Granddaddy? PoPo?"

Keith raised his hand to stop him, his amusement peeking through. "Let's not think about that until he's talking, huh?"

* * *

"I don't know if I can do this, Mac," Veronica told her quietly. "What if Logan's right?"

Mac's eyes widened in surprise. "You--you mean about being like Aaron?"

Her head quickly whirled toward Mac. "No! God no. I mean what if he has the right idea about freaking out? What if he up and leaves?"

Mac chuckled softly as she wrapped an arm around her friend. "Those must be some really whacked out hormones you got going on."

"Hey!"

"Veronica, listen to me. Logan is not going to up and leave you because you're pregnant. You know he wouldn't. He is madly, deeply, disgustingly passionately in love with you. Always has and always will be. You two are like Elizabeth and Darcy, Luke and Laura, Ross and Rachel, Jim and Pam, Mulder and Scully--"

Veronica laughed. "You can stop now."

"You get my point though," she smiled. "Veronica, if he was gonna leave, he never would of asked you to marry him."

"He did that because I'm preggo."

She sighed again. "Look, Logan would kill me if he knew I told you this, but he's been thinking about asking for a few months now."

"What?"

"He was worried you'd say no, so he never actually asked." She smiled softly. "I guess he was right." Veronica started to tear up and Mac slightly widened her eyes at her reaction. "What is it?"

"I can't believe he wants to marry me," she sighed. "I can't believe I'm crying over this," she snorted. "I'm such a freakin mess."

"You're stressed out, that's all. I mean, you just found out you're pregnant, that's . . ."

"It's insane. Mac, I'm serious. I don't think I can do this. I don't think I can be a mom. Logan and I are in such an incredible place right now. We just moved, I have this great job, he's doing amazing with the shops and the new charity, and now all of that's gonna change."

Her head tilted curiously at that thought. "Why does it have to change?"

"Because," Veronica paused. "Because it won't be the same. I'm not mom material we all know that. Maybe . . . maybe this isn't such a good idea."

Mac snorted. "Veronica, the world is not going to end because you're having a baby. You and Logan are going to be fine. It's just one more person to love."

"You're such a cheeseball," Veronica finally laughed.

"Seriously, I think you two are going to be great at this whole parentage thing. And you damn well know that Logan is going to spoil this kid rotten. He's going to give this kid the complete opposite of his own childhood. He's going to do that because he loves you and he might not know it yet, but he loves this kid already. Just like you."

"You have got to stop with the Psych 101."

She grinned in return. "Let's start from the beginning. I'm gonna ask you a bunch of questions and you answer yes or no as fast as possible. Got it?"

"Is this what you do all day?"

"Got it?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"Is your name Veronica?"

"Yes."

"Do you live in Neptune?"

"Yes."

"Do you hate your job?"

"No."

"Do you love Logan?"

"Yes."

"Do you want this baby?"

"Yes."

Veronica's eyes went to her friend.

"I guess you're having a baby," Mac laughed. "Is it too soon to call godmother?"

Veronica hugged her tightly. "I'll definitely put you at the top of the list," she laughed. "Thanks, Mac."

"Don't even mention it."

* * *

"Veronica's pregnant."

Charlie grinned widely at Logan. "You're finally making me an uncle, little brother?"

"Yeah."

He came up to Logan and hugged him. "Congrats!"

"Thanks," he smiled meekly.

"I take it this wasn't planned?"

Logan snorted loudly. "Far from. But we're dealing with it. It's just . . . this is huge you know. Half the time I don't even know how I'm able to maintain . . . and now there's this -- kid out of the blue."

Charlie chuckled softly. "You're gonna do great. You both are. How's Veronica doing?"

"I think she's fine. She tells me she's fine, but I know she's kinda freakin out."

"I bet."

He paused for a moment. "I asked her to marry me."

Charlie's eyebrows lifted high. "Wow, Logan. That's huge."

"She said no," he chuckled.

"What? Why?"

"I think dealing with the fact that she's pregnant is enough for now. We'll see. Maybe in a couple years she'll change her mind."

"So how are you doing with all this?" he asked him concerned. "Really."

"I'd be lying if I didn't tell you I was scared shitless." He stood, beginning to pace across Charlie's living room. "I don't know if I can do this being a parent thing. And Veronica's freaking out enough as it is - I don't want to add to her stress ya know? God, Charlie, I'm not made to be a dad. I don't know how and fuck it's not like I had a good role model with Aaron. What if I screw up this kid's life? What if I turn out to be like--" he didn't finish his thought. He'd been over this with Veronica and that was enough.

"Like Aaron?" Charlie finished for him anyway.

He simply nodded. "Veronica and I-- we already talked about this, but what if it's true? What if it's in my blood?"

"Logan," Charlie sighed. "Sit down for a minute and listen to me."

He reluctantly did as he requested.

"I wish I could tell you the secret to being a great dad, but I can't. And it's not like I can give you personal experience either. But I've seen you with those kids you teach to surf. You're patient and caring and protective."

Logan snorted at that.

"It's true. Personally, I think you're going to be a great dad. Do you know why?"

"Because Veronica will kick my ass if I'm not?" he half joked.

Charlie smiled at him. "No. It's because I know that you're going to act the complete opposite of Aaron. That's all you have to do. And about this bullshit about it being in the blood - that's all it is Logan - bullshit. There's a difference from someone growing up like you did knowing that it was wrong and someone growing up thinking that behavior is normal." He clasped a hand on his shoulder. "I mean it, Logan. You're going to be a great father. Without a doubt this is going to be one lucky kid. You just have to remember you're not alone. You have Veronica, your friends, and I'm not going anywhere," he grinned.

Logan finally let out a breath. "Thanks, Charlie."

"Don't even mention it, little brother."


	8. Part 8: This Was My Mom's

**Part 8  
****This Was My Mom's . . .  
**_June 5, 2012_

"We are not naming our child after any type of land mass, water formation, season, or object, got it?" Veronica told him as they walked towards their doctor's office.

Logan rolled his eyes at her. "What's wrong with Summer?"

"Nothing if your parents are hippies or you want to be a stripper when you grow up."

"You've just offended every girl I know named Summer," he told her, shaking his head in mocking disapproval. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Very ashamed."

He tightened his arm around her shoulders. "So what do you like?"

She smiled in excitement. "Something classic like . . . like . . ."

"Bertha?"

She slugged him on his arm. "You ass. Something like Grace or Kate or David . . ."

"Our daughter is not gonna be named David," he told her as he opened the door to the office.

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "You're gonna shit a brick if you find out you're wrong and this kid is a boy."

"I'm never wrong," he grinned. "It's a girl."

* * *

As they sat in the waiting room, Veronica shuffled through the three month old magazines on the coffee table. She was about to read an article on preparing for childbirth (which she was definitely not looking forward to) when she spotted a research journal lying among the gossipy mags. Her interest piqued, she picked it up and started to read an interesting article on babies who were born intersex. It wasn't often, but there were cases where children were born with unclear male or female characteristics. The more she read, the more worried she became. What if that had happened to their kid? She wouldn't love him or her or . . . whatever any less, but oh my god, what if Logan's dreams of a little girl were dashed. She glanced at the journal again and tried to find the spot where she had left off.

"Veronica?"

She looked up to see the nurse calling her inside. Logan was already on his feet and had his hand out to help her up.

"You ok, sweetie?" he frowned as he took in her paled face. "You look like you're gonna be sick."

She quickly shook her head and took his hand. "No, I'm fine," she smiled shakily. She dropped the journal back on the coffee table and admonished herself for picking it up in the first place. She should have stuck to reading about the newest pregnancy wear or something.

They were led to the examining room where the nurse performed the usual weight and blood pressure routine. She left soon after with a gown for Veronica to change into. She quickly shed her clothes and sat on the table. Thoughts of non-gendered birthday parties floated through her head. Maybe they'd name the baby Chris or Leslie or Alex or something.

Logan sat in the chair next to Veronica and took her hand. "Veronica, what's wrong?" he frowned. "You look all freaked out."

She didn't have time to answer as Dr. Drake entered the room. "Hey guys," he greeted them with a smile. "How's everything going with the pregnancy so far?"

Veronica frowned slightly. "Um, so far so good I guess. Nothing weird or out of the ordinary. Just a normal . . . everyday pregnancy. With normal everyday things happening . . . right?"

Logan nodded as he looked at Veronica. "I don't think Veronica's eating enough," he told Dr. Drake honestly. "Isn't she supposed to be . . ." he placed his hands in front of his own stomach. "Bigger or rounder or--"

"Fatter?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

He immediately raised his hands in surrender. "No, I'm just saying, you're six months pregnant. Maybe you need to be more--"

Dr. Drake cleared his throat and Logan looked at him in thanks. "I think what Logan is trying to say is that he expected you to look a little more pregnant than you do." Logan nodded his head quickly in agreement. "Because Veronica is petite to begin with, it's perfectly normal for her to have a small 'bump' if you will." He checked the chart he held in his hands. "It looks like you've gained another five pounds since you were here last month." He frowned slightly. "Well, you're about to enter your third trimester and you shouldn't be surprised if you start to gain more weight, probably a pound a week. Keep eating healthy and you'll be fine." He turned to Logan. "No need to worry, Logan. You guys are doing great." He turned back to Veronica. "Any swelling?"

She lifted her feet up. "I have cankles now," she sighed.

Dr. Drake grinned at her as he looked at her ankles. "It's not that bad, Veronica. Believe me it could be worse."

She frowned at that. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Um, yes?" he chuckled.

Dr. Drake finished up the exam and let them know that they could have the ultrasound done today instead of coming back next week. "Any other questions?" he smiled at them.

Veronica bit her bottom lip. "You know the sex of the baby, right Dr. Drake?"

He looked at her in surprise. "Did you change your mind?" he asked her curiously.

Logan frowned at her, but she responded before he could object. "No, it's just--" She cleared her throat. "I mean you _know_ the sex of the baby. You _know_ if it's a boy or a girl, right? I mean, there's no weird surprises for us, right? You'd, you know, tell us if we needed to prepare for something that was . . . not . . . ordinary. Right, Dr. Drake?"

Dr. Drake and Logan both looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "Sweetie, you feeling ok?" Logan asked her with a raised eyebrow.

She tilted her head to the side. "Yeah, I mean . . . it's just . . . we're having a boy or girl, right?"

"You're not having twins, Veronica," Dr. Drake told her with a smile, assuming that was what was worrying her.

Logan's eyes widened at that. The thought of having _two_ kids at once had never occurred to him before. "Thank god," he muttered to himself.

"No," Veronica sighed. "No, I know. I just . . . the baby . . ."

Dr. Drake nodded for her to continue.

"It's a _boy_ or a _girl_, right? There's nothing missing," she waved her hands in the general vicinity of her crotch, "down there, right?"

Logan's mouth fell open at that comment. "Our kid doesn't have junk?"

"Veronica, where in the world did you come up with this?" Dr. Drake asked as he sat back down on the stool.

She shrugged and cast a glance at Logan who was staring at her in confusion. "There was a journal out in the lobby and there was an article about children who were intersex and there's a one in--"

"Veronica," Dr. Drake smiled. "Your baby is fine. If it makes you feel any better, I'll do the ultrasound myself today. Yes, there are some things we won't know until the baby is born, but right now, everything's developing the way it should be. And if there was a birth defect, something that we _could_ detect, I would have let you know a long time ago."

"You're sure?" she asked him. "The baby's fine?"

"The baby's fine," he grinned.

* * *

On the ride back home, Veronica rubbed her belly in comforting circles. "You're not allowed to read anything about weird birth defects or intersex anymore, Veronica," Logan told her with a chuckle. "Your blood pressure will go up and so will mine."

She slapped him across the shoulder. "Shut up," she laughed. "They never should have left that journal out there in the first place."

"Yeah, don't worry, I saw Dr. Drake snatch it off the coffee table when we were leaving."

She grinned in return and shook her head. "So what do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

He smiled at her and took her hand. "You didn't think I'd forget, did you?"

An eyebrow lifted at that and she couldn't help but smile. "Forget what?" she questioned him slyly.

"It's our anniversary."

She smiled at him genuinely touched. "I can't believe it's been four years since we got back together."

He chuckled softly in return. "Yeah, time flies, huh?"

"Yeah," she added softly. "So what are we doing?"

"Well," he grinned. "I was planning a trip to Vegas, but I didn't think you'd appreciate the heat."

"Good call," she smiled. "So? What are we doing?" she asked again.

"I think you've forgotten the meaning of the word 'surprise'. If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

She frowned at him a little. "I don't have to get all girlyed up for you, do I?"

"No," he laughed. "I know how much you hate that. Especially right now."

She smiled at him in response. "This is why I love you, Logan," she told him, leaning over to kiss him. "You're the best."

* * *

"That was amazing," Veronica told Logan as she finished up her last bite of lasagna. "You really outdid yourself with dinner tonight."

He grinned at her and pointed his fork at her. "I do try."

She smiled as he cleared away the dishes from the table. "You're all domesticated, Logan," she added with a laugh. "It only took me four years, but I finally broke you in."

"Shut up," he laughed.

"Now, if I could just get you to leave the seat down--"

"Shut up," he repeated again. "You gotta leave me with something." He came back to her side and sat a burgundy jewelry box in front of her. "Desert, bobcat."

She looked up at him in surprise. "Logan, what is this?"

"Open it up and find out for yourself."

Her eyebrows knit as she looked at the box. It wasn't new, that much she could tell and it looked as if it had seen a better day or two. She ran her hands over the worn leather and finally, carefully opened it up. Inside was the most jaw dropping beautiful bracelet she had ever seen.

"Logan," she barely whispered. "Logan, this is--" she shook her head, speechless.

He kneeled in front of her as he took the bracelet out of the box. "This was my mom's," he told her softly. "It's the first thing she bought herself after her first film. She used to tell me the story every time she wore it." He looked at it fondly and then back to Veronica. "It's one of the few things that survived the fire believe it or not. She had it hidden in a safe that I didn't even know about."

"Logan it's beautiful," she finally told him. The strand of diamonds sparkled back at her. "But you should keep it to remember your mom."

He shook his head. "I want to give it to you and it's not like I can wear it," he grinned. He looked back down at the bracelet, gently turning it over in his hand, causing the diamonds to sparkle back at him. "I took it in to get appraised after the fire and the jeweler told me it's from Tiffany. Some guy named Schlumberger was the designer and I guess it's a pretty famous design." He looked back up at her with a smile. "It's called 'Lynn'. Fitting I guess."

She framed his face with her hands. "She'd be really proud of you, Logan."

He shrugged slightly, placing the bracelet back in its box. "I know she wasn't the best mom in the world," he told her softly. "And I'd be lying if I told you I didn't hate her a little for leaving me and leaving me with Aaron at that, but," he sighed. "I loved her and I know she did the best that she could."

Veronica smiled as she leaned down to kiss him.

He chuckled softly at his own memories. "I- I've been holding on to it, trying to figure out the best time to give it to you . . . maybe you could even pass it down the family if you wanted."

Her own smile grew. "I have no idea why you think this baby is a girl."

He grinned and placed his hand on her rounded belly. "It's just a feeling."

"What if it's a boy? He's not gonna wear this either."

"Then he can give to his wife or daughter. He'll figure it out."

She smiled as she fingered the precious jewelry again. "Thank you," she told him softly. "I promise I'll take good care of it."

"I know you will. Wanna put iton?"

She nodded quickly and Logan couldn't help but grin when he latched it onto her wrist. "It really is gorgeous, Logan."

He kissed her and ran his hand down her hair. "So are you," he smiled. "So," he cleared his throat. "You still freaked out about the appointment this afternoon?"

She rolled her eyes at no one but herself. "No," she sighed. "I think I'm over it now," she smirked. "And Dr. Drake said the ultrasound looked good, so there's nothing to worry about, right?"

"Right," he grinned as he got back to his feet. "It's weird isn't it?"

"Hmm?" she asked him as she grazed her fingers down the bracelet.

"Just a couple months ago we were freaked out over just having the kid in the first place and now we're just worried that she'll be ok."

She looked up at him then and made her way to her feet, as the memories from when they first found out about the pregnancy came back to her. "Yeah," she whispered. "That was--"

"It was scary," he told her with a small smile as he led her into the living room. He settled themselves on the couch, her legs draped over his lap.

"You can say that again," she told him softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"You still scared about having the kid?" he asked her after a moment.

She shifted and tried to make herself more comfortable against the couch and Logan. "Are you?" she asked him with a quirked eyebrow.

He snorted softly. "I don't think it's normal _not_ be scared, you know?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "But I think we're doing a pretty kickass job so far."

"Me too," he grinned. "So, I'm thinking I like the name Sundown."

She poked him hard in his chest. "No, I told you n--"

"You said no, and I quote, 'land mass, water formation, season, or object.' 'Sundown' is not any of those."

"Add events to the list too."

"You're no fun," he told her with a twinkle in his eye. "You're gonna give our kid some boring name that will follow her for the rest of her life and when she asks me 'dad, why did you name me Gretel' I'm gonna have to tell her the truth and say 'honey, your mom is boring'."

Veronica began to laugh and tried to hit him across his arm. "And I'll say, 'your dad is an ass'."

He started to laugh along with her and framed her face with his hands. "I love you, Veronica."

She grinned up at him, her eyes bright. "Me too, you ass."

* * *

A/N: I probably should have done more research with this chapter, but bygones. If you'd like more info on intersex persons, check out isna. org, it's a very interesting topic to say the least which I highly recommend reading up on. I did the whole thing injustice, btw so apologies to anyone out there who has more know how or may know someone who is intersex.

Lynn's bracelet does exist. If you'd like to check out the gorgeous thing yourself you can at tiffany. com (listed under Jean Schlumberger)

Also, sorry if I offended anyone out there named Summer, I do like the name myself, and I couldn't think of another name for Veronica to shoot down ;)


	9. Part 9: Hijacked

**Part 9  
****Hijacked  
**_August 31, 2012_

Father Richard Torres decided to stop off at the nursery after spending the past hour with one of the members of his congregation. The hospice worker, Holly, had called him in requesting that he stop by to perform the last rites on Mrs. Oaks. The nursery was always a welcome change after such trials. He smiled as the precious infants slept in their small bassinets.

He suddenly heard frantic running and saw a young man in scrubs heading in his direction. His pace didn't halt and Father Torres took a step back in surprise.

"Jesus Christ, are you a real priest?" the young man asked him.

"Ye--"

"You need to come with me," he replied and grasped him by the elbow. "Please, it's an emergency."

Father Torres could do nothing but nod, the panic was evident in the young man's eyes. They didn't travel far, a few yards to a room where a woman was in labor.

"Veronica!" the young man called out. "I found a priest."

Father Torres took in the room and as far as he could tell no one was in distress. "Young man--"

"Marry us!" the woman shouted. "Logan, tell him he has to marry us."

Father Torres' eyes went to the young man who had dragged him into the room. "Sorry about the hijacking, padre, but my girlfriend, she wants us to be married before she has our baby," Logan rattled off quickly.

"Veronica, you need to push again," Dr. Drake was telling her, oblivious to what was going on around him.

Veronica clenched her teeth and gave a strangled cry as she did what the doctor told her. Logan pushed the bangs away from her face and smiled at her tenderly. "You're doing great, sweetie."

She grasped his hand. "Logan, we need to get married. I want to get married. Now."

Logan lifted his head to see the priest. "Sorry. Father--"

"Father Torres," he responded.

"Right, Father Torres, I know this might seem weird, but we'd really appreciate it if you'd marry us. Here. Now."

Father Torres' eyebrows lifted high into his snow white hair. "Do you have a marriage license?"

Logan's face fell. "No. This is kind of a last minute thing."

"I'm sorry, my son. There's nothing I can do."

"Veronica, push," Dr. Drake once again told her.

"No, not until the priest marries us. This kid is not gonna be a bastard child!"

"Oh, my," Father Torres muttered to himself.

"Veronica, you gotta push," Logan tried.

"Shut the hell up, Logan. This is all your fault. You're the one that knocked me up, remember? You just couldn't stop doing this."

Again she made her crude hand gesture and Logan covered his face in his hands as the priest looked on.

"My dear child," he tried to continue.

"Marry us! Marry us now!"

"We don't have a marriage license, Veronica," Logan tried to reason.

"I don't care. If he does it at least it'll be legal somehow."

She gave a painful scream and Logan turned pleading eyes to the priest.

"I'm sorry, Father Torres, I really am. My girlfriend doesn't know what she's saying right now. She's in a lot of pain, but do you think you could marry us anyway? We'll get the license in a few days, I promise," Logan implored.

Father Torres looked between him and Veronica and he sighed. He wished he could say this was the first time he'd been in this position, but it had not. "All right, all right," he finally sighed.

"Thank you," Logan breathed. "Did you hear that, Veronica? He's gonna marry us."

"Bout damn time," she gasped.

He rolled his eyes at her.

"Are you sure about this young man?" Father Torres asked him quietly.

Logan couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, I'm sure. I love her."

"Very well then." He cleared his throat. "Dearly beloved --"

"Veronica, you need to give it one last push," Dr. Drake informed her.

"Not until he says husband and wife!"

Logan turned beseeching eyes to the priest. "Could you just skip some of the parts?"

Father Torres rolled his eyes at him. "Do you--. What is your name my son?"

"Logan. And this is Veronica."

He nodded quickly. "Do you Logan take Veronica to be your lawfully wedded wife to--"

"I do," he interrupted

Again he sighed. "And do you Veronica take Logan to be your lawfully wedded hus--"

"I do! Husband and wife - say it!"

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Logan grinned at leaned over to kiss Veronica.

"Don't even think about it," she hissed as she gave one final push.

They both held their breathes waiting for the first sign of life to come from their baby.

"It's a girl," Dr. Drake told them followed by a screeching wail from the newborn.

"A girl, Logan," she sniffed happily. "It's a girl!"

The nurse came over and placed the still crying baby on her chest. "Logan, look at her. She's so tiny and perfect." Tears welled in her eyes as she ran her hand down the baby's head.

Logan leaned forward and took her little hand around his finger. A sense of peace swept over him. His mind was whirling, but one thought came through loud and strong - _I'm responsible for this kid's life. I have to protect her. No matter what. I'm going to be there for you._ "She's beautiful," he told her quietly. He kissed the baby on her small head and mimicked the move with Veronica. "You did good, Veronica. I'm proud of you."

She smiled up at him. "You weren't so bad yourself," she told him adjusting the baby a little more.

The nurse came over with a warm smile. "I'm sorry. I need to take her now."

They both frowned. "What? Why?" Veronica asked.

"We just need to get her cleaned up. I promise I'll bring her right back."

Veronica glanced down at the baby and reluctantly let her go. "Ok, but I want her back in like two minutes."

Logan leaned down and kissed Veronica softly on the lips. "Congratulations, Mrs. Echolls."

She grinned up at him and then at the priest. "Sorry," she told him softly. "I kinda lost it there for a minute."

Father Torres patted her shoulder in an understanding manner. "I understand, Veronica. May God bless your little family."

"Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded and made his way out of the room, his own spirits boosted from the ordeal.

"Ten toes and ten fingers," Dr. Drake laughed as he brought the baby back to the new parents. "Just like we thought."

Veronica grinned widely as he placed the baby back in her arms. "Is she ok?"

"She's more than ok," he smiled at her. "Congratulations, guys."

* * *

"I told you it was a girl," Logan grinned as he brushed a finger across the baby's head.

"Yeah, well, you can gloat when you're able to push something the size of a watermelon out of something the size of a lemon."

He grimaced at that. "Thank you for putting that lovely picture in my head."

"That's why I'm here," she grinned.

Logan brushed a lock of hair out of Veronica's face. "Why don't you get some more sleep? You've slept like three hours since last night."

She shook her head slightly at him. "Not until we agree on a name. It's already been a whole day." She fought back a yawn. "Just throw some names at me, maybe it'll stick."

He shifted the baby in his arms and looked at Veronica. "Pepper."

She frowned. "No."

"Abigail."

"No."

"Patches."

"You do realize we're naming your child, not a dog."

He snickered quietly as he stared at the baby. She was so tiny. "Something classic, huh?"

"Mmm hmm," she murmured, her eyes drifting closed.

"What about Ava?"

Veronica's eyes popped open at that. "Ava," she murmured more to herself. "Ava Echolls." She nodded in approval. "I like it," she smiled. "How about Ava Lynn?"

Logan tucked the baby back near Veronica's head. Veronica ran her fingers across her small nose. "What do you think, kid?" Logan asked her as he took in the scene. "Ava Lynn Echolls."

The baby yawned widely, her small arms stretching up with her. "I think she likes it," Veronica grinned, her own eyes once again falling closed. "Ava," she murmured happily as she finally drifted off to sleep.

Logan grinned down at his two girls. "Ava Echolls and Veronica Echolls. Sounds awesome, huh, kid?"

* * *

_A/N: Thanks again for all the feedback guys! This is going to be the last chapter for a bit I think. The next couple of chapters having been kicking my ass big time. In the mean time, I'll be posting my three other LoVe fics here on FF .net in the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out for those. _


	10. Part 10: Sibling Rivalry

_Hey all! Sorry about the delay in posting. Hopefully the next part won't take as long. As always, your feedback is loved and appreciated!_

**

* * *

**

Part 10

**Sibling Rivalry  
**_October 11, 2012_

"Surprise!"

Veronica's mouth fell open as she stared at Trina who stood smack dab in the middle of her doorstep. "Trina," Veronica started, bewilderment in her voice. "What--" She shook her head. "What're you doing here?"

The grin on Trina's face widened. "Silly girl. You're about to marry my baby brother. It wouldn't be right if your new sister-in-law didn't throw you a bachelorette party." She lifted the bottle of wine and glasses at her side with a grin.

Veronica's eyebrow rose. "Sorry, I can't drink." She pointed to her chest. "Still breastfeeding."

Trina simply shrugged. "That just means more for me," her grin widened. "You gonna let me in or what . . . sis."

Veronica internally sighed as she stepped to the side. It's not that she didn't like Trina - but the thought of entertaining her right now was tiring to say the least. "Trina, I appreciate you coming over, but it's not much of a party. Everyone I know is at Charlie's."

A frown crossed her face as she walked towards the living room. "Right. The mysterious big brother. I hear he's all chummy with Logan, but I haven't even met him yet."

"Well," Veronica started, following her in, "you haven't been back to Neptune in years. That could be why."

She shrugged. "He could have flown to New York."

Veronica simply raised an eyebrow in return.

"Whatev," she shrugged. "The important thing is that - yay! The party can start."

"Party? Trina it's--"

Trina rolled her eyes. "Look if Logan can have a bachelor party, it's only right that you have a bachelorette party."

"One - Logan's not having a bachelor party. Two - there's only two of us," Veronica told her.

"Logan's with his friends tonight, right?" She didn't wait for a response. "And besides," she grinned again, "I've partied with fewer. But, we could always call Mac and have her join us," she conceded.

Veronica was tempted. Anything to have another buffer between her and Trina. But . . . "Mac just got back from San Diego today," she sighed. "She's exhausted and she's probably already in bed. So I think we can pass on that idea."

Trina shrugged nonplussed. "Just means more liquor for us."

"For you," Veronica corrected her.

"Yep," she grinned.

"Ok," Veronica sighed softly. "So do you want to meet your niece first?" she asked her with a smile.

"Yeah!" she cheered and set the bottle and glasses down. "Let's see cute little Emma."

"Ava."

"Right," she nodded.

Veronica led her to the nursery where Ava was awake staring up at the mobile above her crib.

"Aww, she's adorable."

Veronica smiled. "Yeah, she is. Do you want to hold her?"

Trina's nose crinkled. "Um, no, maybe later. Cashmere, you know," she told her pointing to her sweater. "Don't want to get baby . . . stuff all over it."

"Yeah," Veronica sighed.

Trina patted Ava's belly instead. "She's precious," she told her. "Let's drink, huh?"

"Sure," she sighed. "I'm not much of a late-nighter anymore," she warned.

"That's ok. I'll have a couple for you." Trina smiled as they entered the living room again and began to pour herself a glass of wine. "So," Trina started. "You and baby brother – who would of guessed, huh?"

Veronica simply smiled. "I guess it was bound to happen," she told her. "Especially after Ava."

"Yeah. If I ever got knocked up I'd probably want to marry the baby daddy too." She downed half of her wine. "So why's everyone so in love with Charlie?"

Veronica's mouth quirked up into a smile at her obvious curiosity. "He's a great guy," Veronica told her softly. "He's really been there for Logan."

"I don't see the biggie. He's never called me."

"Have you called him?" Veronica questioned.

Trina simply ignored the question.

"How's everything going with you, Trina? How's New York treating you?"

"Oh, you know," she sighed dramatically. "Busy, busy, busy. I'm still waiting for that perfect part to come along."

Veronica simply watched her waiting for her to continue, but nothing ever came.

* * *

"As much as you're wishing it, this isn't a bachelor party, Dick. It's just our regular poker night," Logan smirked, setting the chip holder on the table.

"Poker night on pre-Dooms Day you mean."

"Dude, I'm already married, tomorrow's just a technicality," he told him with a laugh. "And if I recall correctly, this was all your idea to begin with."

"Me?" he grunted. "Point at Charlie if you're gonna point fingers. He was the one that agreed with you to make it legal. I just said you might as well throw a big bash if that was the case."

"Same thing," Logan informed him.

"I still think you should have hired a stripper."

Logan snorted loudly. "Dude, if you want to see a stripper, it's not gonna be here," he told him.

Dick frowned. "Do we at least have liquor or is that not allowed either?"

"Don't be a dick," Weevil told him from behind his shoulder.

"Man, come on!" Dick sighed in frustration. "That is the lamest comeback ever. Every freakin' time."

"I still think it's funny," Weevil smirked.

"Whatever," Dick frowned again. "Where's the beer?" he mumbled as he headed towards the kitchen.

Charlie sat at the table and the others followed suit. "Ok, boys, Texas hold 'em is the game," he announced, as he dealt out the poker chips. Dick made his way back to the table, four beers in his hands and passed them out to the other guys.

"So what's Veronica up to tonight?" Charlie asked Logan, shuffling the cards in front of him.

"She didn't want to do anything," Logan shrugged. "She just wanted to stay at home with the kid."

Dick couldn't help but grin at the mention of his soon to be goddaughter. "How's little ALE doing?"

"It's Ava, dude."

"Hey, you're the one that named her after beer."

Weevil chuckled as he took a pull of his beer. "Yo, we gonna get this game started or what?"

"You ready to lose your money so early?" Dick asked with a grin.

"Please. Who kicked whose ass last time?"

"That was a fluke."

"Right," Weevil snorted.

"So Mac's not with Veronica?" Charlie asked curiously, bypassing Dick and Weevil's bickering.

"Veronica told her to stay home and get some rest," Dick chimed in. "She just got back from San Diego a few hours ago." All eyes turned to him. "What?" Dick asked anxiously. "So I talked to Mac earlier. That against the law or something?"

"I thought the two of you--" Weevil began, but Dick stuck his hand out in protest before he could finish his thought.

"We're not going there," Dick simply told him.

"Huh," Logan murmured curiously.

"What?" Dick asked defensively.

"You--"

"You guys are boring me over here," Weevil sighed interrupting what Logan was about to say.

"Which is why a stripper would have been such a great idea," Dick sighed.

"We can hire you if you're that desperate," Logan grinned.

"Be the best dance you've ever had," Dick retorted.

"I'd like to keep my beer down so I'll pass thanks," Logan laughed.

"You'd love it and you know it," Dick grinned.

* * *

"So sunset beach ceremony," Trina commented, pouring herself another glass of wine. "Very quaint."

"We thought it'd be nice," Veronica shrugged. "The whole thing is going to be really informal. People can get here when they want and we'll be out there on the beach all afternoon. And when the sun starts to set, we'll have the ceremony."

"Cute," she grinned. "Very OC."

"Shut up, Trina," she couldn't help but laugh.

She shrugged clearly amused. "I'm happy for you both," she finally told her honestly. "You make baby brother happy and that's all that matters, right?"

Veronica's eyebrows rose at her sudden seriousness. "Thanks, Trina," she answered softly.

Trina stared into her glass of wine as if she were in her own world.

"You still here?" Veronica nudged her softly with her foot.

"Hmm?" she answered.

Veronica watched her soon to be sister-in-law carefully. There was no question that the girl she briefly knew a few years ago had changed. She and Logan had visited her once or twice since they had been together, so she was far from an expert on all things Trina. She frowned slightly at that thought. In some ways, Trina was on the out when it came to the Echolls clan. She knew Logan like the back of her and she had Charlie figured out in almost the same manner. But Trina . . . Trina was a different person each time she talked to her. Redefining herself as her life in that moment dictated. Happy, bitchy, teasing, on and on. And tonight -- tonight she seemed . . . lonely.

"You ok?" Veronica asked her softly.

She smiled at her then, the corners of her eyes crinkling in amusement. "Yeah. Why?"

"You . . ." She debated with herself quickly. "You just look down. Everything ok?"

Her smile faltered for a moment. "I'm fine," she answered.

Call it her new found mommy instinct, but she knew that she was lying. She let her sit for a minute. Again it seemed as if Trina was lost in her own world.

"How's it really going, Trina?" Veronica asked her quietly.

She knew Trina and Logan kept in contact through sporadic emails and phone calls. And the last time Logan heard from her, she had asked him to wire her some money so she could pay her rent. Logan had sent her the cash, no questions asked. And he mentioned to Veronica that he was worried that she had gotten into trouble with another abusive boyfriend.

Trina downed the rest of her wine in one gulp. "It could be going better," she finally answered honestly. "I thought moving to the east coast would change my luck, but it didn't happen."

"You could always move back to Neptune."

"So I can ride on my baby brother's coat tails?" she sighed, crinkling her nose in distaste. "It's not like he needs me. He's got Charlie 'I'm so awesome' Stone in his corner."

Veronica shook her head at her. "Trina, you know Logan loves you. He could have a thousand people in his corner, but he'd still want you there front and center. You're his sister and yeah, Charlie's his brother . . . but he's your brother too."

"I'm his adopted sister. Not the real thing like Charlie."

Veronica simply frowned at her. "Logan doesn't look at it like that. And I'm sure once you get to know Charlie too, you'll want to spend more time with him."

Trina simply shrugged in return and poured herself another glass of wine.

* * *

"So those are some nice bags under your eyes," Dick pointed out to Logan.

He frowned in response. "You try sleeping around a two month old that doesn't get that normal people don't wake up every three hours 'cuz they need to pee or poop or get hungry." He tilted his head in thought. "Sometimes I think she does it on purpose and just cries for the hell of it because she does it on the nights I get up to take care of her."

"I'm sure that's it, Logan," Charlie laughed.

"You never know," he shrugged.

"She is Vee's kid so I wouldn't put it past her," Weevil added.

"Hey now," Dick huffed, clearly offended. "That's my soon to be goddaughter you're talking about."

"Sorry, princess," Logan smirked. "Hey Weevil, how are Marie and Eddie doing? I haven't been able to get to the shop all that much."

Weevil couldn't help but grin at the mention of his niece and nephew. "They've been waiting for you to get back to work," he snorted. "I offered to take them over last weekend, but they said they didn't want any lessons from anyone but you."

Logan grinned widely at that. "I am pretty awesome," he chuckled.

"Yeah, well thanks to you, all they wanna do is go to the beach and surf when they're not in school."

"That is my goal in life - make everyone want to become a beach bum."

Weevil snorted again and shook his head. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but they're working on some weird little side project for Ava."

"Aww," Dick laughed. "You have your own little groupies."

"You're just jealous," Logan told him with a smile.

"Whatever, dude," Dick laughed again.

"So you nervous about the big day tomorrow or what?" Weevil asked him, more of a means of distracting him from the game then curiosity itself.

"Nah," he smirked. "We're technically already married, right? And so far she hasn't wanted to kill me or vice versa - so it can't be that bad."

Dick snorted. "Good to know there's no cold feet."

"Nope. It's all good." Logan turned and grinned at Weevil. "Remember, no biker babes allowed tomorrow."

He snorted in return. "Don't worry. I'm bringing the whole gang along so we can crash the bitch right."

* * *

"Before you decide that you hate Charlie, why don't you give him a chance first? You'll like him, Trina. He's--"

"He's the best thing since sliced bread. I know," she muttered.

"I'm not saying base how you like him from what Logan and I have said, but from what you get from him. I think you'll understand where we're coming from."

She frowned slightly. "Ok," she relented, "but I'm not making any promises."

"Good," she grinned, pleased with herself.

"You know, Veronica, I don't remember you being Miss Sunshine and Puppy Dog Tails. What happened to you?"

Veronica's grin faded. "You're saying I lost my edge?"

"Kinda."

"It's Logan's fault," she frowned. "I keep saying I domesticated him, but I think it was the other way around."

Trina snorted in amusement. "You're all girly now."

"Please stop insulting me."

"Just pointing out the facts," she shrugged amused.

"Why don't you stay with us tonight?" The words were out of Veronica's mouth before she even knew it.

"No," she shook her head. "I'm not looking for a pity--"

"Seriously, Trina. It's late and we have the extra bedroom. You can get settled at the Grand tomorrow."

She hedged a bit more, completely taken aback by the offer. "If you're sure?" she finally questioned.

"Of course," she grinned in return. "And I know Logan's going to want to see you. It's been at least two years since you've actually seen him face to face, right?"

"Yeah, ok," she grinned at last.

* * *

"Hey, little woman!" Logan called out as he and Charlie entered the condo. "You still awake?"

"She won't be after you bellowing like that," came the voice from the living room.

Logan frowned and walked further in and his face lit up when he saw Trina walk towards him.

"Trina!" he smiled in genuine surprise. He hugged her briefly and she continued to hold onto his arms.

"Well look at you, baby brother." Trina let her eyes roam over him in pure glee. "You're all grown up," she told him, a hint of wistfulness in her voice. "You're not all tall and lanky and weird and you're babyface is gone." She grinned as she patted his left cheek.

He ducked his head in embarrassment as Charlie chuckled from behind him. Trina's eyes followed the laugh and she stiffened up a little. She was prepared by both Veronica and Logan that Charlie looked like her father. But seeing it up close was completely different.

"You must be Charlie," she added quietly, unsure of herself for the first time since arriving back in Neptune.

Charlie smiled at her warmly. "It's nice to finally meet you, Trina."

Logan stepped away to let the two of them cross paths. Trina finally took a step forward and they shook hands.

"So you're the big brother we never knew about, huh?" She sniffed indifferently as if the air around her had changed. "I wonder how many other Echolls' kids are out there," she added underneath her breath.

"Trina," Logan sighed. "Let's not do this tonight, ok?"

She narrowed her eyes at bit. "I'm not _doing_ anything," she defended.

Logan opened his mouth again, but Charlie laid a hand on his shoulder to silence him. "It's ok, Logan," he smiled.

"Hey."

Three sets of eyes turned to face Veronica.

"I thought I heard you come in," she smiled and stepped forward to kiss Logan quickly and Charlie on the cheek. "I see you saw your surprise," she told him, motioning to Trina with a smile. "I told her she could stay the night so she doesn't have to worry about checking in tonight."

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, no, that's a great idea."

Veronica glanced at the three siblings. "Well, I'm going to get some sleep since Ava is finally down for the count."

Logan kissed the crown of her head before she slipped away. "I'll be in a little later."

"Yeah, take your time. I know you guys probably have a lot to talk about."

They said their goodnights and the three of them stood there silently for a moment.

"Listen," Charlie finally spoke, "how about you and Veronica get some shut eye. Trina and I will talk a bit more out back."

He started to shake his head to disagree, but Trina quickly stepped in. "It's ok, Logan," she sighed. "I'm not completely clueless. I know you have a busy day tomorrow. Me and Charlie can sit and talk. We'll be ok. No chaperone needed."

Logan's eyes flickered between his two siblings. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. It's not as if he had to think that far back to remember his own first meeting with Charlie. He just really wanted Trina and Charlie to get along. "I don't--"

"It's ok, little brother," Charlie interrupted softly as if reading his thoughts.

Trina tensed next to him. Logan was _her_ baby brother. Not his. It was always him and her. And now this . . . stranger was trying to take her place.

"You sure?" Logan sighed.

Not trying. _Done_, she thought bitterly. She and Logan never had the best relationship in the world, but it was theirs. She knew it. Without even questioning it or seeing them together, she knew that Logan and Charlie were closer than she and Logan had ever been. Or ever would be. Logan was the one that had been coming to her aid for the past few years. Ever since Aaron had died. And now everything that she heard about the almighty Charlie Stone stared her right back in the face.

Charlie was the one taking care of Logan. Something that she had never done. Even when he would tell her that Aaron hit him. She never really believed him. Never believed that their father was capable of such cruelties. It wasn't until he had died that she finally accepted the truth. Logan hadn't been lying. Logan only wanted help. Help that she never gave. And now here they were all these years later and Charlie was the one taking care of Logan. Logan was taking care of her. And she was taking care of no one - least of all herself.

"Logan, it's ok," she sighed softly. "I'm going to go to the hotel and check in."

He started to frown. "I thought Veronica said you were gonna stay here tonight?"

"Yeah, well, change of plans. You know me," she grinned.

"Trina," he sighed. "I want you to stay."

"No," she shook her head.

Again Charlie patted Logan's shoulder thoughtfully. "Don't worry Logan. Trina and I will take care of this. Go ahead and get some sleep."

And that was the moment Trina decided that she hated Charlie Stone. "It's ok," she told him again. "Go take care of the baby or something."

He finally reluctantly agreed with a small nod of his head. "Come and get me if you need me." He glanced between the two of them again and sighed. "Just remember I need both of you ready for tomorrow. Big day you know."

"We'll be here," they both told him at the same time.

"Ok," he sighed again.

And for some reason, Logan knew that he wasn't going to get any sleep until Charlie and Trina both returned to their respective corners for the night.

They watched Logan walk away and Trina flexed her fingers in and out of a small fist. She never did well with strangers. Especially strangers that she hated.

"So," Charlie started a small smile on his face. "Let's go talk out back. They have a little--"

"Stop," Trina sighed as she lifted her hand to stop his proposal. "I wasn't kidding. I'm going to the Grand tonight."

She headed towards the door and Charlie reached out to take hold of her hand. His fingers brushed over hers, but she quickly snatched her hand away. "Don't touch me," she hissed.

"Ok," he quickly agreed, holding his hands up in peace. "Sorry. Trina, let's go out back. I thought we could get to know each other." Another smile lit his face. "I always wanted a little sister."

Fight or flight. Fight or flight. It was always in her, the urge to flee when she was uncomfortable. And her fleeing instincts were kicking in hard right now.

"Please?" he finished.

She paused slightly, thinking back on her conversation with Veronica. She did tell her that she'd give Charlie a chance. "Ok," she finally sighed.

She followed him to the back sliding doors and onto the deck. It had gotten cooler and he watched her as she crossed her arms across her chest in an act to ward off the chill.

Trina watched him from her peripheral vision. As much as she hated to admit it, staring at him was as if her dad was still there. Unlike Logan, it wasn't hate or fear that she felt . . . it was almost like a quick pang of comfort and some sadness. Because she did miss Aaron. Missed having him to run to when she needed him. Whether it be a place to stay or a comforting hug or as petty as it may sound, some extra cash. Yeah, definitely, Charlie could pass for a younger Aaron. And although her brain had come to terms that Aaron was an abusive father to Logan -- she couldn't help herself -- she just missed her dad.

She sat on one of the deck chairs and wondered how long she'd have to sit there before she was able to leave. He didn't say anything. He simply stared out into the ocean as if this weren't the most awkward thing in the world. Of course he'd already gone through this with Logan.

"So Logan tells me that you're a teacher," she mumbled softly.

Charlie turned to face her and smiled. "Yeah at the Fairfield Middle School."

She nodded mutely. "What subject do you teach?"

"Well," he sighed, sitting in the chair next to her. "I was teaching English Lit, but I took a few extra courses the past year and I'm one of the counselors now."

"Oh," Trina sighed.

He shrugged immersed in his own thoughts. "Logan thought it was a good move, but I'm still trying to get a hold of it."

"Right," she mumbled as she scooted further back into the chair. Of course he would be counseling. He'd helped Logan with the abuse thing right? He'd been there for Logan while she was out partying.

It hit her then. Everyone was out there living their own lives. Everyone except her. Logan, her baby brother who attracted trouble like blood to a shark, had two freaking successful businesses and a charity to boot. Charlie was a teacher slash counselor. Veronica was a freelancer and a new mom. And she . . . she was doing the same shit she'd been doing for the past ten years.

"You ok?" Charlie asked her, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Yes," she snapped without meaning to. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He shrugged nonplussed by her outburst. "You just look like you were in deep thought."

"I wasn't," she muttered.

She recognized it then. This feeling building inside of her. She was bitter. Bitter and jealous. Because instead of finding comfort back here in Neptune, she found the opposite. She didn't even have her brother anymore. At least not in the sense that he'd always been to her. Her last link to Aaron. Her last bit of home. Instead everything was twisted and turned. Logan had Charlie now and he had his own little family to take care of. And she was just the outsider looking in.

"You want to talk about what's bothering you?" he asked her softly.

She didn't realize there were tears streaming down her face until he spoke. "No," her voice cracked.

The waves crashing against the beach was the only sound around them. Charlie held his sigh in place. He knew this was going to be difficult.

"I'm sure you've heard this already," Trina began quickly, "but you look so much like him."

He grimaced slightly. "I know," he nodded. "I'm sorry if it upsets you."

"No," she interrupted quickly. "It doesn't."

He frowned and she took in a shaky breath. "I know I must sound like a bitch, but it's nice . . . I miss him," she added quietly.

He raised an eyebrow curiously. Clearly he wasn't expecting that reaction.

"I know he was a horrible person," she began again, this time her eyes focused on the surf. "And a big part of me hates him for what he did. But," she chewed on her bottom lip, "that wasn't the Aaron Echolls I knew. As horrible as he treated Logan, he was the opposite with me. And I know you can't possible understand and I don't expect you to, but I still miss him. I can't tell that to Logan obviously," she rambled again. "So please don't say anything to him."

"I won't," he told her softly.

A few minutes passed by and Charlie contemplated how to get her to open up again. It was as if she could read his thoughts though.

"Hey, Charlie, no offense or anything, but I just don't feel like talking right now."

Charlie did sigh this time. He wasn't expecting anything different. "Ok," he told her softly. "No problem. You'll stay here tonight though, right?" he asked her, the concern in his voice.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm too tired to move my stuff again."

"Good," he nodded. He stood hesitantly and shuffled towards the door. "I hope you know I'm not the bad guy here, Trina," he told her softly wanting to make his own peace. "I know your relationship with Logan is important - he told me so himself. I just want you to know that I never saw my relationship with him as a replacement for yours."

She winced slightly at his words. He hit the nail on the head without even trying.

"And I'd like a relationship with you too," he added. "I won't push you. Just let me know when you're ready to talk."

She finally nodded briefly and sighed in relief when she heard the door slide open and close again. She wondered if she could get through tomorrow without talking to him and head back for New York without anyone being the wiser.

Again the only sound around her was the crash of the waves. She shivered when a cool breeze hit her, but she made no move to get up. A few moments passed by again and another breeze came by. She could swear she didn't remember Neptune being this cold. She never heard the door open behind her and she sighed softly when she felt a warm blanket thrown over her shoulders.

"Thought you'd be cold," Logan murmured from behind her.

She snorted softly as he took the seat next to her. Here he was again taking care of her. "Thanks," she murmured.

"I take it things didn't go so well with Charlie?"

She shrugged noncommittally. "It was fine," she lied.

"Except for the part that he could pass for Aaron thirty years ago."

She winced slightly. "Yeah," she finally sighed. "Creepy, huh?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "It's ok, you know," he told her softly. "I know it bothers you in a different way than it bothered me."

She narrowed her eyes slightly. She didn't remember Logan being this perceptive. "Were you eavesdropping?"

He snorted softly. "No, I just know you, Trina."

She shook her head once again surprised by her brother. "You've grown up a lot, huh?" she asked him softly.

He shrugged in response. "I had to, Trina. A lot of stuff has happened you know?"

She nodded in return and twisted her body so that she could watch him. "I'm proud of you," she told him honestly. "You could have ended up like those weird celebrity child actors who do drugs and end up in jail or rehab."

He smirked in return. "I could have ended up like that, but I had people making sure I didn't."

"Other people, but not me," she finished for him.

He turned his head to look at her, a frown on his face. "That wasn't what I meant."

"It's ok," she smiled sadly. "It's the truth isn't it? While I was off in New York, acting like one of those celebrity kids, you were here building a new life. That's something to be proud of. Something I should thank Charlie for too. He stepped in when you needed family around."

Logan sighed, sensing where their conversation was headed. "He's not a replacement sibling, Trina. Just because Charlie is here doesn't mean that I don't want you here too."

She frowned at him. "I never said anything about a replacement."

"You didn't have to. It's written all over your face." She opened her mouth to protest, but he placed a steadying hand on her arm. "Look, I know we had our problems when we were kids, and yeah, I kinda hated you growing up, but that doesn't mean I don't love you. Or want you out of my life. You're just as important to me as Charlie or Dick. That's not gonna change."

She shook her head again amazed by Logan. "You're something else, baby brother."

"I try," he smirked. "Can you do me a favor though? Can you give Charlie a chance? Get to know him before you decide you hate him."

"I already hate him," she muttered under her breath.

He chuckled softly, his hand squeezing her arm in amusement. "Give it some time, you'll come around. It's nice having a big brother around," he grinned. "Please, Trina?"

"Ok," she nodded in agreement. "I won't take off after the wedding tomorrow like I planned."

"Good," he sighed as he stood. "Now come back in, it's fucking freezing and I need to get some sleep."

He took her hand and helped her up and she wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked through the doors.


	11. Part 11: It's a Nice Day

Yikes, yep I know it's been a long time since I updated. Sorry! I think my muse has smacked some sense into me recently, so hopefully it won't take a year for another update. I promised myself I'd finish this whole story by January 1st (2010 - not 2011), so we'll see what happens. I'm writing 12 as I post this so keep your fingers crossed. Thanks to everyone who's left comments and/or added this as a fav or for updates - y'all rock! I'll stop talking now :)

* * *

Part 11  
**"It's a Nice Day . . ."  
**Morning - October 12, 2012

---------

A puff of air escaped her lungs when a heavy body sprawled itself on top of her. "Why does it feel like a water buffalo just sat on top of me?" Veronica murmured sleepily.

"Shut up," Logan smirked as he continued to lie on top of her on the couch, resting on his forearms to keep the majority of his weight off her.

She grinned and wrapped her arms around him, her eyes popping open when she felt his wet form. "Logan!"

He lifted his head to look at her and grinned. "There weren't any clean towels."

"So you decided to use me to dry off?"

"Yeah," he grinned happily.

"Could you please put some clothes on?" she asked him, eyebrow raised. "We do have company you know."

"Eww, Logan!" Trina called out. "For god's sake, put some clothes on."

He turned his head in Trina's direction, made no attempt to move, and grinned widely. Her hand was covering her eyes and he snickered quietly. "My house," he laughed. "If I want to walk around naked, that's your problem." Veronica smacked him hard on the ass and his wide eyes darted back to her. He couldn't help the lascivious look on his face. "Do that again."

She couldn't help but laugh and finally managed to squirm out from underneath him. "Maybe later," she told him quietly as she threw a nearby blanket on him.

"I can still hear you!" Trina called out in horror.

"Then leave the room, dumbass," he called back.

"I'm gonna go bleach my eyes out," she huffed and ran back to her room.

Logan laughed and Veronica couldn't help but join him. "You're horrible," she started, crouching down next to him.

"It's her own fault. She just can't go around and use all of our towels without consequences. This isn't Hotel Echolls ya know?"

"Did you even bother to check the linen closet?" she asked him amused.

"That's where I was headed, but then I saw you lying here and I couldn't resist."

She ran her hand through his wet hair. "You really should go put some clothes on. We got a big day today."

"I was thinking," he told her, his eyes closing on their own as she continued to stroke his hair. "Maybe we should skip all this. We can just have Cliff come over and do the ceremony in the house and just keep it simple."

She stopped stroking his hair and Logan finally opened his eyes and looked at her. "No way, Logan. I suggested that a week ago and you wouldn't budge." She stood up and decided to sit on top of him. "We're doing the whole cheesy routine. We're going down to that beach and we're getting married at sundown. Right?"

He finally sighed in return. "Right."

She made no motion to move from her perch on top of him. "I take it things didn't go so well between Trina and Charlie."

Logan sighed at the memory of the night before. "I was going to tell you about it, but you were already asleep."

She nodded, absently running her fingers through his hair again. "She's worried that you don't want her around."

"I know," he murmured sleepily. "I told her that wasn't true, but I'm not sure how much I got through to her."

"What happened between her and Charlie?"

He sighed and tried to peek up at Veronica from his position. "I don't know. They weren't out there very long and when I heard him leave I gave her a couple minutes before I went and talked to her."

She nodded in thought. "I think we just need to give it some time."

"Yeah," he sighed, thinking back on his two siblings.

"Come on," she smacked him on the ass again after another moment. "Get up and get dressed. We still have a lot to do today."

He groaned softly, but lifted his head when Veronica stood up.

"Don't give me that look," she told him with a smirk. "I gave you an out last week and you didn't take it. Now you're gonna have to deal with people all day long. I know that's your favorite pastime."

He groaned again and watched as she walked away from him. He got up from the couch and shivered slightly as the cold air from the air-conditioning hit his still damp skin. A towel hit him in the face before he could react.

"There, you ass, cover yourself up," Trina told him.

He looked up to see where she had come from, but she had her back turned to him. "Thanks, sis," he told her with a small chuckle and wrapped the towel around his waist.

She huffed and turned back around. "Do you make it habit of walking around naked these days?"

He shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. "I never got any complaints before."

"Apparently Veronica's too nice for her own good."

He had the urge to stick his tongue out at her and so he did.

"Nice," Veronica sighed as she watched the two of them bicker. "I thought I was married to a 24 year old, not a 14 year old."

His lips twitched in amusement again, but his eyes never left Trina. "You're so immature," he whispered to her quietly.

She simply rolled her eyes in return. "You know, it's really sad, Logan. Just yesterday I was thinking how grown up you were. Obviously, I was wrong."

He bristled at her shot. "Don't be a bitch," he huffed.

Veronica's eyebrows rose and she couldn't help but laugh. "Ok, you two, time out for both of you. Logan, I didn't think I needed to tell you to be nice to your sister."

"She started it," he mumbled underneath his breath.

"You did," Trina muttered in return.

Logan grinned at her. It was amazing how easily they fell back in their usual roles when there wasn't a serious conversation in progress.

Trina's own lips twitched in amusement, when she came to the same conclusion he did. "I just wanted to say bye," she told them, crossing her arms across her chest.

His eyes widened briefly, the quick protest already on his lips.

"I'm just going to the Grand. I'll be back later," she told him, already anticipating his protests. "I promised you yesterday that I wouldn't leave. I just want to get out of your hair so you can get ready for the wedding."

Logan simply watched her for a moment, trying to gauge if she was being truthful. "Ok," he finally sighed. "But you know you can stay here if you want. You're not in the way or anything."

She looked down at his towel covered self and raised an eyebrow. "Trust me. The last thing I want to see is my baby brother's naked ass again."

"It's a perfectly fine specimen," he told her with a laugh.

"You're gross," she frowned, turning and heading for the door. "I'll see ya guys later."

* * *

One of the first baby outfits Veronica had bought was a pink flowy tutu when she was four months pregnant. She thought it was the most adorable thing in the world when she first got it on the off chance that she was having a girl. She decided that it would be the perfect thing to dress Ava in for the ceremony.

"She looks like a ball of cotton candy," Logan told her with a laugh.

Ava simply gurgled, a line of drool coming down and hanging off her chin as she laid there in heaps of tulle and pink.

Veronica wrinkled her nose quickly deciding that the dress was a huge mistake. "It's not her," she told him. "She's not a fluffy pink girly girl."

Logan snorted. "Why not? You were?"

She shoved him away with her elbow. "Shut up."

"Well what do you want to do? Dress her in black and dye her hair purple?"

Veronica shook her head as she picked Ava up from the changing table. "Now you're just being weird."

"You dress our kid up like a pink ball of fluff and I'm being weird?" he mocked her.

Veronica tilted her head to the side as she held Ava. "She does look like cotton candy," she frowned.

Logan laughed as he took the baby from her hands. "So we'll just ditch the pink for something less . . ."

"Girly?"

"Yeah. I hear green's the new black you know."

"Should I worry that you know that?" she teased him.

"Yep." He laid Ava back down and searched through the drawers underneath the changing table, pulling out a white and green gingham dress. He changed her quickly and handed her back to Veronica. "Look at that, no more cotton candy."

Veronica kissed Ava on her cheek and looked her over. "I promise when you grow up, you can wear anything you want," she told her.

Logan frowned at that. "That's not such a hot idea," he disagreed quickly. "What if she wants to wear skirts up to here and tops down to there."

Veronica shrugged and handed Ava over to him. "It'll be a phase. She'll grow out of it."

He kissed the top of Ava's head as he followed Veronica out of the nursery. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" he murmured to her quietly.

Veronica snorted in return. "Good luck with that," she laughed.

She cast a quick glance at the clock and made note of the time. "Don't you think it's time you changed?" she asked him, making a quick dash into the kitchen.

He shrugged as he rocked Ava in his arms. "We still have a couple of hours till sunset. I thought I could hang out in here until then."

Veronica snorted as she walked back in, bottle of water in hand. "Oh no, you don't," she shook her head. "You're going to get changed and you're going to go out there and mingle with your guests as soon as they start getting here. I'm putting you in charge of our baby so that _I _can get dressed too. "

He frowned again. "You hear that kid? Your mommy's so freaking bossy."

She tapped him across the head with her water. "You usually like me bossy."

The corner of his mouth upturned into smile. "True."

* * *

Veronica glanced at herself in the mirror and patted her still slightly there belly. It had been almost two months since she had given birth to Ava, but it felt like it had only been yesterday and her body had still yet to bounce back.

"You look hot," Logan grinned at her reflection. "Ready?"

Veronica turned around, a smile on her face. "Isn't it bad luck to see me in my wedding dress?" she asked him, an amused eyebrow rose.

He shrugged as he leaned against the doorframe. "We're technically already married. Plus as much bad luck as we've gone through, a little old wives tale isn't going to scare me off that easily."

"You're such a rebel," she teased.

"That's why you married me, right?"

She shrugged in bemusement. "That and the free housing."

"Nice, Ronnie."

"Aw, you know it's for that sweet little bod of yours, right?"

"I feel so used," he sighed dramatically.

She grinned, giving him a once over. "You look nice. Is there some sort of fancy party you didn't tell me about?"

"I'm just marrying my old lady today. Her daddy put a shotgun to me since I knocked her up. You know how it goes."

"Sounds like a bitch of a problem."

"Nah," he grinned at her, making his way towards her. "It all worked out in the end." He kissed her softly.

She smiled up at him in return. "Is everyone here?"

"Just waiting for your dad."

An eyebrow went creased in concern. "Really? I thought he'd be the first one here."

"Don't worry. He called a bit ago while you were getting ready. He got held up at work. I guess he arrested some asshole who tried to highjack some little old lady."

"Keith Mars to the rescue, huh?"

"That's what I got from the phone call."

"Huh," she murmured. "Well we can go mingle with our guests in the meantime."

"Not if we send them home and do this thing in the living room."

"Shut up," she told him, shoving him gently away from her. "Your idea, remember?"

"You know I'm not a fan of people."

"Should of thought of that before, smartass."

They made their way down to the beach where their guests were awaiting them. Mac caught sight of them from the corner of her eye and made her way towards Veronica.

"Wow, look at you!" she grinned happily. "You weren't kidding when you said you didn't need any help."

Veronica laughed softly. "Having a kid definitely makes you learn to clean yourself up pretty quick. Speaking of which, how's my kid doing?"

Mac pointed over to the small group of huddled men. "She's got them wrapped around her little finger," she grinned.

Veronica watched as Charlie, Wallace, and Dick all hovered over Ava. "Please tell me you took multiple picture of that scene."

Mac waved her camera happily. "Of course. By the way, I don't think you'll ever be able to separate Ava from those three."

* * *

"Dude," Dick exclaimed as he made his way to Veronica and Logan. "Your kid is awesome! She just farted and burped at the same time! Who does that?!" he asked awestruck.

"We're very proud," Logan grinned wrapping his arm around Veronica and she elbowed him in the side.

"Don't encourage him," she sighed.

"Vee," Wallace ran up to them, excitement in his own voice. "Did Dick tell you what straight up awesome trick Ava just did--?"

"She burped and farted at the same time," Veronica interrupted with a groan. "Wallace, you've been hanging around Dick too much."

He shook his head. "Do you not realize how hard it is to do that?"

"Stop corrupting my dau--" Her voice trailed off as she noticed her dad walking towards them. "Wallace?" she started.

"Huh?"

She grabbed his arm and pulled at it so that he could see what she was seeing.

"What the--"

"Since when have my dad and your mom started dating again?"

Wallace remained speechless as he watched the two of them walk arm in arm, large matching smiles on their faces. "Good question," he finally muttered.

"They look happy," Logan pointed out reasonably.

"I suppose so," she mumbled in agreement. "But it would have been nice for some warning."

"Maybe he wanted it to be a surprise," Logan offered with a shrug.

Keith waved when he finally spotted Veronica.

"I'm definitely surprised," Wallace mumbled.

"That makes two of us."

They watched as Keith and Alicia approached them, their twin smiles slowly fading as they saw the looks they were getting.

"Maybe we should have given them a heads up before the actually wedding," Alicia told Keith quietly.

He shook his head in response. "We're old enough to be grandparents-- ow!" He stopped talking when she pinched his side.

"There's only one fuddy duddy between the two of us and it's not me," she corrected him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not a fuddy duddy," he mumbled in reply. "The point is," he continued on, "is that if my daughter can go off and get married without telling me, we have the right to date on the DL -- as the kids say."

Alicia rolled her eyes at him. "The DL?" she smirked.

"The down-low," he informed her proudly.

"I know what it stands for," she couldn't help but chuckle. He joined her in amusement as they finally stopped in front of their respective children.

Logan couldn't help but grin at them. They looked cute for an old couple. "Hey Alicia, long time no see. PopPop, glad you got away from work."

Alicia waved and smiled in return and Keith rolled his eyes sarcastically at Logan's new nickname for him. "Glad we haven't missed any of the fun," he grinned.

"Hi, Dad," Veronica finally smiled tightly. "Hi, Alicia."

"Hi," they both responded.

Veronica quickly elbowed Wallace who only stared at them in shock. "Mom. Keith."

They continued to stare at each other in silence until Logan broke in. "I'm, uh, gonna go change the kid," he started, prying his hand away from Veronica's very firm clasp.

She narrowed her eyes at him and he mouthed a quick 'sorry' and 'talk to him' as he walked away.

"Thanks for nothing," she muttered under her breath. She turned back to her dad and sighed. "Can I talk to you for a second, dad?"

He rolled his eyes at her in response, feeling all of twelve. "Sure. Let's go talk."

Alicia bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. "I'd like to talk to you too, mom," Wallace told her. Her amusement deflated and she narrowed her eyes at both Keith and her eldest son. She knew she shouldn't have listened to Keith.

* * *

Logan swayed lightly with Ava in his arms cooing at her softly. Trina watched him for a moment before making her presence known. "Hey," she smiled.

Logan looked up and grinned in return. "Hey yourself."

"I heard about the commotion," she told him.

He rolled his eyes in return. "I'm sure everything's fine," he sighed. "Me and the kid here just thought we'd take a little breather."

She tilted her head to the side. It was only then that she thought back on how Logan referred to Ava. "Why do you call her 'kid'?" she asked him softly.

His smile widened at the question. It hadn't been the first time he'd been asked. "I don't know," he answered her honestly. "It stuck with me when Veronica was pregnant. It just feels right," he shrugged.

She regarded him carefully. When he called her that it was said in the same inflection as if he were saying 'sweetie' or 'honey'. "You're really good with her," she added after another minute.

He ran a finger down Ava's cheek. "Thanks." He looked up at her and grinned again. "You want to hold her?"

"No," she quickly answered, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Why?"

"I don't --" She shook her head. "I don't want to hurt her."

He chuckled and took a step towards her. "Don't be crazy. You won't break her." She turned as he came closer and he grinned again. "Sit down and make a cradle with your arms."

She bit her bottom lip and finally did as he instructed, making a small cocoon with her arms. She stiffened slightly when Logan placed Ava in her arms.

"There ya go," he told her softly. "Just hold her neck with your hand and you'll be fine."

Ava whimpered a bit in Trina's stiff hold, but Trina adjusted herself quickly by moving her hands slightly and that was all it took. Ava looked up at her and blinked a few times in greeting.

"Hey," Trina smiled down at the little girl in her arms. "I'm your Aunt Trina," she told her quietly.

Logan took a step back and smiled at the sight. "You're a natural," he told her.

Her eyes flickered up at him and his grin lit up his face.

"Yeah?" she whispered.

"Yeah," he told her softly.

"You know, I think you were about the same age when I first laid eyes on you, Logan." She smirked softly in remembrance. "I kinda hated you back then too."

He smirked in return unsurprised.

"I mean you were one of the reasons I lost my daddy. I didn't have his full attention anymore." She frowned at her own words. "I was a bitch even back then."

"Trina, you were like six. You didn't know any better."

She shrugged in return. "Six, twenty-six, it doesn't matter."

* * *

Keith grinned when he and Veronica were tucked away in the nursery away from prying eyes. "I think it's too late for the birds and the bees talk, but . . ." He sighed deeply when he saw Veronica's tense face. "What's up?"

Veronica crossed her arms over her chest and lifted an eyebrow at her father. "What's up?" she repeated. "How about 'oh hey, Veronica, I'm dating your best friend's mom again. Thought I'd let you know.'"

"We didn't want to tell anyone," he told her simply. "We wanted to see if it was going anywhere before we announced it to the whole world."

"And you decided to announce it at my wedding?"

He shrugged again. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. Look, sweetie, I was planning on telling you today, but I got stuck at work and I didn't get a chance to get here earlier. Let's face it, kiddo, I'm old enough to make these decisions without your permission."

She rolled her eyes in return. "I know that." She did know that and she realized that she had no say in what her father did or didn't do. It was just weird. It was unexpected . . . "Are you happy?" she asked him curiously.

"Yeah," he laughed lightly. "Yeah I am."

She searched his face and saw that the usual shadows under his eyes were gone and he was weirdly beaming at her. And if anyone deserved to be happy after all, it was her dad. "Well I guess that's all that matters then."

And just like that, things were back to normal.

"You ready to do this thing?" Keith asked her with a grin.

"Yeah, I just want to get out of this dress and back in my jeans," she smirked.

Keith walked towards her and cupped her face in his hands. "You look beautiful, sweetheart."

Her smile widened as she leaned in to hug him. "Thanks, dad." She let him go and tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear. She nodded quickly and hooked her arm through his. "Let's go get me married. Again."

* * *

Charlie walked into the living room and watched as Logan and Trina fussed over Ava. Logan noticed him after a few minutes and waved him over.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Charlie told them honestly, turning back to the door.

"No, hang on," Logan called after him. "Listen I want to check on Veronica and Keith. You two can catch up." He looked at Trina as he said this, an eyebrow raised in silent question.

She nodded slightly. "Yeah, ok," she told him and watched as he clapped Charlie on the back and escaped to another part of the house.

Trina glanced around the room after a few seconds. It was pointless, no place to escape and she essentially told Logan she was ok with Charlie. She let her eyes travel back down to Ava who happily sucked away at her pacifier, eyes looking up at her intently. She smiled despite herself, picking out the little things that reminded her of Logan when he was a baby.

Charlie took a seat on the opposite corner of the couch and cleared his throat. "She's a cutie, isn't she?" he finally grinned.

"Yeah," Trina murmured in return, not taking her eyes off of Ava.

"Look, Trina, I wanted to apologize for last night."

She frowned slightly and raised her eyes to him instead. "For what?"

He shrugged in return. "I don't seem to make good first impressions when it comes to the Echolls' kids I guess. First Logan, now you. I push too much without meaning to . . . you'd think I'd know better, right?"

She sighed softly and shook her head. "I had my mind made up about you the minute I heard your name from Logan. I was never good with the whole sharing thing growing up as Logan can tell you. It never really went away." She darted her eyes back to him, really looking at him for the first time that day and bit her bottom lip. She wanted to tell him that she would eventually get over this jealousy, but the words got caught in her throat somehow knowing that it would be a white lie. "I just need to get used to this."

He looked down at his hands and nodded sadly. "I know," he told her softly. It took months for him and Logan to form a friendship and he had a feeling that it was going to take a lot longer with Trina.

* * *

Logan quickly turned the corner and ran into Keith and Veronica. "Oh, hey," he sighed. "I was just . . ."

"Coming to check on us?" Keith smirked.

"Yeah," he grinned. "I did want my father-in-law in one piece for the actual ceremony."

"We're fine," Veronica sighed. "Dad here reminded me that he's a grownup now."

"I get to have the car all weekend and everything," Keith interjected with a grin.

"Really?" Logan began. "She doesn't even let me have that."

"Shut up, both of you," she laughed. "Come on already it's almost sunset and I want this to start on time."

"So bossy," Logan muttered under his breath.

"And you love it," she told him.

"Ugh, you guys, too much info," Keith scowled.

* * *

It was a simple ceremony on the beach as they always planned with their family and close friends. They didn't have a best man or maid of honor since Logan and Veronica couldn't choose between their friends. They made the way down the make shift aisle together, forgoing the traditional rites since they already considered themselves married.

"Why's Cliff sitting down?" Logan whispered to Veronica as they made their way forward.

"I have a surprise for you," she grinned.

Father Torres, the priest from the hospital, crossed in front of them. Logan's eyebrows went up. "I thought you said you couldn't find him," he murmured to her.

She grinned in return. "Please, did you forget who you're married to?"

Vows were exchanged and legalized. And everyone clapped as they kissed and were declared, officially, Logan and Veronica Echolls. Veronica took Ava from her dad and Logan encompassed them both in a hug. They didn't hear the murmurs or whispers until they realized that the only noise around them was the surf from behind.

Veronica's gaze darted away from Ava and Logan and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach and something claw down her throat. Logan's eyes were transfixed in front of him as well, tightening his hold on Veronica as if to protect her.

Veronica swallowed hard, her mouth gone dry. "Mom?" she finally croaked out.

* * *

(Yes, I'm evil. First cliffhanger in this story, but I couldn't help myself! Next part coming soon - promise)


End file.
